Several things on my mind...... I had several techs look at the problem (paid for several opinions). This is on a system in operation for about
12 years....seemed to be working fine and then blew a breaker one day. CY: Blown breakers, any of several reasons.
First team of techs said it was leaking "like a sieve" from the flare coupling by the metering valve. When they checked the freon, it was only a little low. So one would think "leaking like a sieve" means freon should be pretty low. CY: yes, you'd think so.
But they quoted 375 head pressure and 55 low pressurre. CY: We don't know what the temperatures were at the time he checked, or if he told you the truth. But, if we make some WAG, here, the freon may be a bit low, and the outdoor unit is in desperate need of cleaning.
Estimated cost to repair leak and clean both coils was 650 - to 850 dollars. CY: How much to just clean the outdoor unit?
Second tech comes in, measures charge, looks at leak (doesn't use a sniffer) and says "you have a leak, you're a little low on freon.....I will overcharge the system a little to so it will work until you have a chance to talk to our salesperson.". He estimated 1200. to correct the leak, another $500 to clean the evaporator coil. Total of $1800. Clear message "Buy a new system" He was very technically correct in saying.."overcharging will kill the compressor" and " you will have water damage on floor" (low freon will cause evap coil to freeze). CY: Sounds like he's pushing a new system.
Another tech suggested using a can of HVAC-R stop leak.
Three weeks later, system is still cooling fine. I am looking to verify loss of freon. One way or another, it's important to get this situation resolved. CY: I can undersand you wanting to get some real answers. Sounds like every time you get another estimate, you get two more answers.
With a new Bryant A/C running anywhere from 5 to 10 K (actual quotes)....... it would be important to me to see exactly how much of a leak is there and IF it can be stopped by a can of HVAC-R sealer which was recently recommended. Also knowing how much of a charge remains would be helpful to be able to discuss "solutions" intelligently. Do I have 6 months to replace the system or 6 days. Also, did cleaning the coils actually make a major difference in operating efficiency. CY: Yep, it sure is nice to be able to have some time to work. Dirty coils really kill the efficiency of a unit. Did it help yours, to have em cleaned? Depends how dirty, and how good was the cleaning they did.
The members on this forum are a fantastic source of information and guidence making it easier to become "knowledgeable" to solve minor problems, perform routine maintenance maintenance and to make intelligent choics" CY: I've really learned a lot on alt home repair.
Peter