"The difference between a successful person and others is not the lack of strength, not the lack of knowledge, but rather the lack in will."Vince Lombardi"Success is the sum of small effort, repeated day in and day out."Robert CollierHow Can I Tell if I Have a Freon Leak? is a trade name for a class of chemicals (known as Chlorofluorocarbons or CFC's) used as a refrigerant in air conditioning systems. Freon is a gas at room temperature and a liquid when cooled or compressed. Freon gas is colorless, non-flammable and relatively odorless. Some Freons have an ether-like odor. gas is added to the compressor of the AC unit. This compressor is located outdoors on AC split-systems and inside wall-mounted residential units. Freon is added to a closed looped system and continuously recycled. Freon gas leaks can ocurr at the outdoor compressor or indoors as the Freonliquid is pumped into the AC unit. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) recommends the coolant level in your HVAC system be checked every year.

A system that is only 10% low in coolant will not operate efficiently and can cost over 20% more on your monthly utility bills. Continued operation of your HVAC units with low coolant can damage your compressor. Freon is 4 times heavier than air and sinks to the ground/floor initially when a leak occurs. Freon will rapidly disperse due to its high volatility. Federal law prohibits adding Freon to a leaking system. Repairs to fix the leak must be completed prior to adding Freon as Freon has been shown to damage the Earth's protective Ozone layer. is dependent upon the amount of Freon in the system and the space/size of the area where the leak occurs. Representative quantities of Freon by type used include: Note: Freon is also used extensively in the food service industry during storage, processing and transport including supermarkets. Reportedly, Freon does not have serious long-term health effects. It is not a carcinogen, mutagen or cause damage to the liver. It is primarily a simple asphyxiant which displaces oxygen causing dizziness and suffocation at very high concentrations.

It has limited irritation effects. Persons with a history of heart problems are most at risk since it has been shown to cause irregular heart beats and palpitations in high concentrations. Air conditioners work by removing heat from warm air in your buildings/homes and replacing it with cool air until the thermostat reaches the desired temperature. Freon provides cooling by: HVAC units also help clean the air inside your facility by filtering the air of dust, pollen, mold spores and other allergens. Air conditioners also function as dehumidifiers as they take excess water vapor from the air and use it to help cool the unit. How Can I Tell if I have a Freon Leak? Don't rely on a detectable odor. Look for frost-like buildup on the copper lines around the HVAC unit. Check to see if the HVAC unit is blowing warm air. If you discover you have a Freon leak, evacuate the building and contact your HVAC technician for immediate repairs. Windows and doors can be opened and fans used to bring fresh air into the building.

If you feel any unusual health effects, seek medical care. July 2009 - Salt Lake City, Utah... 6 treated after Freon leak from refrigeration compressor failure at Costco Warehouse. June 2009 - Philippines... Thick smoke from a Freon leak in an overheating AC unit filled Fession Hall during official speech. February 2009 - Raleigh, North Carolina... State laboratory of public housing building evacuated due to  Freon leak.symptoms undersized ac unit November 2008 - Russia... car air conditioning repair clovis ca20 People suffocate and 21 injured by Freon gas on Russian Submarine when vessels fire extinguishing system unexpectedly activate.9000 btu window air conditioner As a client or contact of AET you are automatically opted in to receive AET's free newsletter. 

If you would like to be removed from the subscription, please email reply changing the subject line to "Opt-Out".  We apologize in advance for any duplication.Do window air conditioners need Freon?There is a type of Freon referred to as R-22 or HCFC-22, and it was most common in air conditioner window units prior to 2010. How do you add Freon to a window air conditioner? If there is any doubt as to what type of refrigerant is being used in a window air conditioning unit, the nameplate on the unit should be checked. The type of refrigerant used in the unit should be prominently displayed. A homeowner should never try to purchase or replace Freon on their own, as a special license is required to even handle the refrigerant. If an air conditioner is not cooling as well as it once was, it may need Freon. Some signs of this include the air conditioner being turned up to the highe... What type of refrigerant is used in air conditioners? The most commonly used refrigerant in air conditioners is R-22, or Freon, as of 2015.

Freon is being phased out from use due to the harmful effects on the ... How do repairs for a portable air conditioner compare with a central air conditioner? Portable and window air conditioners are small, self-contained devices, while central air conditioners are larger and more complex, so repairs are generall... How do you ventilate a room? What are the options for garage heaters by King? How do you adjust a thermostat anticipator? What is the procedure for carrying out homemade gasification? Who sells the Remington forced air heater? What tools are needed to fix a thermostat? Can I recharge my window unit air conditioner or do I have to send it to a specialist? The AC unit that I have is about 15 years old (nothing lasts forever)... and I happen to have about 20 lbs of R22 on hand... so I wrote this up. The AC isn't really leaking, but after about 15 years I have lost a couple pounds. Air conditioners do not magically lose refrigerant.

If refrigerant is missing, the air-conditioner leaks; if the leak is not fixed, it will continue to leak. A window unit is almost always a bad economic choice to attempt repairs on rather than replacement; since USA-based persons DO need a license to handle refrigerants, and anyone world-wide needs specialized equipment (and one, hopes, enough training to use it correctly), the cost of service (particularly with older, very expensive refrigerants) is far above replacement, particularly when the power efficiency of a newer unit when running is factored into the equation. The cost of having a qualified, equipped person (or becoming that person) find and repair the leak (on a unit typically not made with ease of service and repair in mind) will almost always exceed the cost of a new unit to replace it. It's a waste of money to try. Especially if you're the guy who pays for the electricity. Captain Kirk didn't beam the Freon out. First, you'll want to fix your Freon leak.

After all, air conditioners are generally sealed units, with only electrical wires entering the envelope that contains freon. However, they use a lot of aluminum, as it is a superb themal conductor, and cheap. Accumulated dust in the cooling coils and fins tends to hold water, a perfect storm for aluminum corrosion. Good chance you have a pinhole in the condenser. Likely you have a foreign made pile of junko, so there is nothing in the unit designed to help you. Every inch of tubing in the unit is welded, and there are no spare parts to be had for the mechanical package. If you have an old school solid American unit, it most likely takes the long-discontinued R12 or R22 Freon, so you are paying top dollar for old stocks. Contrary to what comic books say, a Freon accident will not turn you into Mr. Freeze. Cold is not like fire, you don't instantly feel the pain, you can expose yourself long enough to do damage before you realize it. And there you are, using third party parts of dubious quality, since no manufacturer endorses even authorized repair of the Freon containing machinery - it is not economical even if they made it easy, which is why they don't.

Who pays the electricity bill? If it's you, you're paying again to run an old inefficient unit. Ten years ago I bought a solid Sears unit that did 5600 BTU and drew 5 amps. My friend just bought a private label no-brand junko unit that did 8000 BTU for 5 amps. His unit runs 1/3 less often, so he's saving about 200W or 1 KWH every 5 hours. An older unit would be even worse. This is due to Federal laws requiring ever-increasing efficiency. Then imagine what a quality unit would do. Even if you can get 5 more years out of your old unit, the new unit will pay for itself in electricity costs alone, to say nothing of all that other stuff. So fixing an old unit is a false economy. What you need to know: You are supposed to be EPA certified to work with freon, so the following is only for educational purposes and some pertinent information may be missing. An air conditioner should be cooling the air by about 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. To check that, hold a thermometer in front of the air conditioner where the air is comming out.

It should be about 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature of the air in the room (more specifically, 15 to 20 degrees less than the air going into the air conditioner). Window units prior to 2010 primarily use(d) R22 (also called HCFC-22) freon. R410A (also called Puron) is the standard as of 2015. A 5 ton AC unit has 10 to 20 pounds and a 3 ton AC unit has about 6 to 12 pounds of freon. What do I mean by tons? Tons are kind of like horse power. Tons refers to the amount of ice that would be used to remove a similar amount of heat (and for window AC units, it's around 3 to 5 tons per hour). R22 systems use mineral oil for lubrication whereas R410A uses a synthetic polyolester oil. Mixing refrigerants is illegal in USA. Most window units do not have a port installed so that you can add freon. The larger copper tube leading to the compressor is the low presure side (and the smaller tube is the high pressure side). Generally, about 1 or 2 pounds of refrigerant should be enough to top off one AC unit.

How do you measure that? One way is to put the canister of refrigerant on a bathroom scale and weigh it... a bathroom scale might not be perfect, but it should be pretty close. You probably won't need to add more oil. A self piercing valve (currently the price is about $2 to $5) to the low pressure copper tube. The tubing size may be 1/4", 5/16" or 3/8" so you will need to measure that first or get a "universal" piercing valve that accomodates multiple sizes. A refrigerant refill hose (currently the price is about $10 to $30). Refrigerant: currently the price for R22 is about $260 for 10 lbs and the price will continue to climb until the stocks are depleted; or for R410A refrigerant, the price is currently about $110 for 25 lbs or you can get about 28 oz for about $70. What you need to do: Measure the temperature to see if you need refrigerant. Check the make and model of the air conditioner to find out if you need R22 or R410A. If you need R22 the cheapest option would be to replace the window unit.