Our place has no ductwork and was originally heated with a woodstove and baseboard electric heaters.
A few years ago we upgraded to mini spit heat pumps. One of them is now showing a gas leak code which likely indicates low coolant level. This one is a Climate Rite 12000btu unit that came with precharged lines and a quick connect system so no flare fittings and no HVAC guy required for installation. I have a guy coming to look at it who's a friend of a friend. His plan is to evacuate the sytem then recharge it with nitrogen to check for leaks. He's warned me that if the leak is anywhere but the line connection it'll likely cost more to repair it than to replace it. If this is the case why couldn't he just check what the existing pressure is in the unit and, assuming it isn't empty, just top it up and hope for the best? I know there are leak stop products on the market too but he recommended against them as they tend to gum things up but if the only option is to replace the entire unit then what's the harm in giving the leak stop stuff a try?
Suggestions, opinions and advice are welcome.
