When we moved into our house last year the ac seemed weak. The condensor is kinda small so i figured it was too small of a system for the house. This year its even weaker. So im thinking there is a leak. Can i charge and dye it myself? Does it use the same charge ports and gauges as a car system? What refrigerant? What is the target pressure when running? Thanks
The unit should have a sticker telling the refrigerant.
This is one where i would call an hvac guy
This is one that I would recommend calling in an HVAC guy. Do you have a split system where there is an air handler inside the house or a package unit where it is all contained and just ducted into the house? If it's a split system you may be able to get away with just replacing the condenser. If you have a packaged unit the leak is probably in the coil, which can't be repaired, the coil has to be replaced. Either way, if it's leaking, it generally costs almost the same to replace as it does to repair. Might want to start saving for a replacement. But, you can continue to charge every year, my in-laws did that for about 5 years before the compressor finally blew up, but they only used it for cooling, heat was from other gas units in the house.
First thing I would want to know is "how old is the unit?" These things have a finite lifespan, and fifteen years is about all anyone can hope for in terms of longevity. I had a Carrier system crap out in about 12 years. The cost of repairs can be significant, and if the system is bumping up against this age limit, I wouldn't spend the first dime on it.
That said, most of the relevant information should be on the unit itself, on an embossed label, possibly under the service cover. Be sure to kill the power before pulling the cover, as contact with 240 VAC can cause health issues including, but not limited to, death.
I would seek the opinion of a qualified service tech, who probably has first hand experience with your exact system.
Another thing to have them look at that is often overlooked is the ducts themselves. Have them give them a check to make sure they are not leaking and cooling the attic/ crawls space instead of the home.
Another thing to check is the air handler (assuming split system with handler in basement/attic), depending on the model. Mine has the blower down stream of the filter, and after the blower is a finely finned heat exchanger for the gas furnace. Apparently our filter wasn't seating properly in the duct and we've been doing renovations, so that exchanger was CAKED with E36 M3. I had to remove the blower motor to clean it with the shop vac, and it greatly improved air flow to the whole system.
Probably more relevant to your situation:
Our A/C "worked" during the inspection when we bought in Fall of '15. When we turned it on in Spring '16, of course it didn't work (E36 M3 leaked out over winter). Instead of chasing leaks replacing old parts on an out-of-date system (R-22), I had the A/C system replaced at a cost of $3,200 for a 1200 sqft home in the lower Midwest (R-410) if that gives you an idea of what you're facing. Included outdoor compressor/condenser, evaporator coil inside the handler, and the lines between each. They let us finance it over a year interest-free.
The other problem above happened a year later, unrelated to the A/C system replacement.
And to borrow from the industry's key marketing ploy: The new units are far more efficient than the old ones, so you will actually be SAVING money and HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT.
If it's an older system that uses r-22, the cost to recharge is going up. That refrigerant is being phased out, so the supply is limited. Usually if the charge is low, you will see ice forming on the indoor coil.
Definitely check the refrigerant. My central air is old, uses R22. Its hundreds of dollars for a fill up just in freon assuming it's totally empty, and the price is not going to drop. If you see R22, the only long term solution is new system. Otherwise you will be out lots constantly repairing a system until everybody runs out of R22 or the thing totally dies and then you have to pay for the new system anyway.
In reply to rustyvw:
Do they retrofit new refrigerant into old systems?
If you have R-22 they are going to bend you over and not use lube. Cause they can. We have a HVAC guy that does work on the side and has been pretty good to us in the past. The last time he recharged our downstairs unit, it hurt. R-22 systems can be re-charged with R-407C (I think that's the one), but you have to remove the old refrigerant, remove the mineral oil from the compressor and replace the filter. Not a difficult job, but finding someone to do it, may be impossible.
As others have said, if the unit is anywhere near 15 years old, I would replace it with a more modern and efficient unit. It's likely the coil in the air handler is leaking and the cost to replace that isn't worth it.
Just today i had an estimate on topping off my systems r22 and cleaning the coil. $465 and the guy who was nice as hell basically told us to buy a new unit. This is ohio though and things are usually cheap here.
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