How To Add Freon To A Ac Unit

If you've noticed that your central air conditioner isn't cooling your habitation quite equally well as it used to, the culprit may be Freon leak in your arrangement. Freon is a refrigerant, or coolant, which helps your AC unit evaporate its internal heat and allows the air is expels to really be cool.

If you lot accept sprung a Freon leak, you'll take to seal the problem area, replace the leaking substance, and replenish the amount of refrigerant in the system. This procedure of calculation coolant to an Air-conditioning unit is called recharging.

Fifty-fifty a DIY veteran can accept issues with his projection both because it can exist quite a technical procedure and likewise because many areas have laws regulating the use of Freon. However, if you adhere to your local laws and follow these steps advisedly, you can safely repair and recharge your AC unit.

Step 1 - Purchase Supplies

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The first affair you need to practice is find out what type of Freon you lot'll demand for your air conditioner. If your unit was congenital prior to 2010, it's likely going to utilize R-22. To be certain, you can check the unit itself for a label that specifies which type of coolant to add. The newer systems don't use refrigerant, so brand sure to check your unit before deciding a leak is the cause of inefficient cooling.

If you lot're certain a leak is the problem, you should purchase a Freon repair kit. These kits are excellent for HVAC beginners and generally come up with a reusable injection hose, an Air-conditioning sealant, and nearly chiefly, a detailed set of instructions. Otherwise, you can choose to purchase these items separately in improver to your pressure and temperature gauges.

Step ii - Turn Off Your System

Plow off your air conditioner and temporarily turn off the circuits that send power to it. If you are committed to doing any internal air conditioner repair, having any electricity running through the arrangement, even if it's not turned on at that moment is dangerous.

Step 3 - Protect Yourself

Put on your goggles, gloves, and a animate mask. While a substance like Freon is more toxic to the environment than information technology is to humans, it is all the same important to protect yourself thoroughly.

Step 4 - Find the Leak

Fifty-fifty when it's clear something is incorrect, the only way to be 100% sure that there is a leak is to do a consummate inspection and really locate a physical leak.

Attach a temperature gauge to your valves and expect approximately five minutes to go an accurate reading.

Do your inquiry to determine what an adequate reading would be for your unit model, but anything in the 45 degrees Fahrenheit range generally means your coolant levels are sufficient. If information technology'southward to a higher place that number, or the number designated in your manual, you may accept low coolant levels. Refrigerant doesn't evaporate, so if your Air-conditioning does not have a sufficient corporeality, it is considering there is a leak.

Before you tin can move forward with recharging your system, you'll desire to inspect it to run into if y'all can detect the source of the leak.

To locate the source of your Freon leak, you'll demand to connect gauges to your Air conditioning lines in order to detect any low pressure problems. If you're using a Freon kit, the instructions should clearly spell out what gauges and what lines attach where.

If the low side pressure level is below 65psi, you about likely have a leak. You can also look for visible signs of leaks along pressure lines and joint connections. Occasionally dyes are added to coolants so that you can visibly see color where a leak is happening. In one case your detect the source of the leak, you can start the air conditioner repair process.

Footstep five - Attaching Your Repair Kit

Now that you've inspected the Ac unit of measurement and detected whatsoever and all leaky areas, it's fourth dimension to locate the compressor. The compressor volition have two lines coming from information technology. The larger valve is the service valve and the low pressure suction line. The smaller valve is the tap valve and the loftier pressure liquid line.

In social club to properly seal the detected leak, you lot will need to connect the injection hose and the can of sealant to the compressor lines. Again, consult the information provided with your kit if at that place is any defoliation.

In one case your hose is connected to the supply line and your sealant tin is attached to your hose, exist sure to not tip the container. It should be held upright to preclude damaging the central air conditioner unit of measurement.

Stride 6 - Seal the Leak

Depending on which products you take purchased, the specific details for this part of the procedure volition vary. But in whatever case, you volition need to restore power to the unit and have the air conditioner actually operating for this step.

Once you pierce your sealant tin can, you want to let information technology run through your system for at least a full minute to be sure the sealer has been properly distributed and that it's had time to thoroughly patch up whatsoever leaks.

The sealant will travel with the existing refrigerant to discover and seal leaky areas from within.

Step 7 - Set up the Organization for Recharge

To recharge your air conditioner, reconnect the gauges to the organisation and connect your Freon container to the gauges using various hoses. Reconnect your temperature gauges to the lines as well, then you can ensure yous're getting a clear reading. Many people neglect to use the gauges at this bespeak, but that's a mistake. This is the proper style to recharge an air conditioner, as y'all want to monitor how much coolant you are adding so that yous do not add likewise much.

Step 8 - Add Refrigerant

Once all aspects are continued to your AC unit of measurement, you lot tin release the valve on your Freon container and allow the coolant to circulate in the system. Add merely small amounts at a fourth dimension, assuasive approximately 10 minutes betwixt each modest improver to get a clear reading on the gauges.

Be certain the refrigerant container stands upright for the duration. Tilting the container tin innovate the substance into the compressor and damage the whole air conditioner unit of measurement.

Step 9 - Exam the System

If you believe you've added the proper amount, something that is much easier to determine by using your gauges, let the arrangement circulate for 15-20 minutes as a test run. If all signs bespeak that your air conditioner is properly cooling, you can disassemble your gauges and hoses.

If your AC is nevertheless non cooling off, you either need more Freon, or you withal have a leak and need to call an HVAC specialist for farther investigation.

DISCLAIMER

As mentioned previously, Freon is a regulated substance in many areas. We cannot guarantee this as a process everyone can do on their own, as many will non exist able to obtain Freon without a license depending on their local regulations. Notwithstanding, this step-by-step guide is for anyone who can obtain the correct product legally and wants to complete the task without hiring a licensed professional. It is important that you lot exercise caution while completing this chore if y'all choose to exercise it yourself.

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