Indoor coil leak - http://www.hvacmechanic.com/ Forums
Original message
| bob nelson
 |  "Indoor coil leak"
, posted Mon 21 Apr 19:25  
So now I learned that I have a small leak on the indoor coil of my 3.5 ton Packaged Carrier unit that is only five years old. No more warranty of course. The question is can the leak be repaired successfully or does the coil need to be replaced. If a replacement is the only option, is this going to cost as much as whole new unit? The service guy made it sound like a nightmare job to replace it, is this the case?
Thanks again
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Replies:
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| Jojo98
| "Re(1):Indoor coil leak" , posted Tue 22 Apr 13:16:
Have service co. write up a repair vs. replacement quote; then get a second and thrid quote. Either way it's going to be labor intensive, and not very inexpensive. Stay with the reptutable service companies in your community, not the cheapest.
[this message was edited by Jojo98 on Tue 22 Apr 13:22] |
| Freon
| "Re(1):Indoor coil leak" , posted Mon 21 Apr 20:02
First, have the service guy show you where the leak is located. Its location is very important in determining if it's easy to fix. Be sure you see bubbles from leaking refrigerant when he sprays soapy water (or whatever). Once you know where the leak is you may then want to seek a second opinion.
If the coil needs to be replaced, it should not be a big deal. The new coil should be ~250-300 US$. If the tech pumps the refrigerant into the condenser then minimal refrigerant cost. Lastly, it's the time to do all the work that can be expensive. Get 3 estimates. Spring is slow season and a good time for this work.
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| | Houston204
| "Re(2):Indoor coil leak" , posted Mon 21 Apr 20:34
That package unit probably cannot be pumped down.
"Tip of the Day" Remember to remove power first.
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| | bob nelson
| "Re(3):Indoor coil leak" , posted Mon 21 Apr 21:00
Yeh, he told me that he would have to capture the r-22 and didn't make it sound like it could be "saved". I didn't try the soapy water test, but I did see the tell-tale sign of a quarter sized oily substance in the fins in the lower left corner of the coil. The leak tester he used chirped until a constant squeal when he reached this spot. He told me there was alot involved in changing the coil. Basically sounded like the whole top of the unit had to come off as well as the blower, the return box and some other stuff.
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| | mechacc
| "Re(4):Indoor coil leak" , posted Thu 24 Apr 11:04
The R22 in the unit is yours there is no reason why it cannot be recovered and reused with the new evaporator if there is any considerable quantity left. If however the suction side was running into a vacuum then do not reuse as it will most likely be contaminated with air that has been pulled in from the area of the leak. If the leak was generated through coil corrosion do find the source of airborne pollution that is causing this.
MechAcc
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| | Houston204
| "Re(5):Indoor coil leak" , posted Thu 24 Apr 22:41
How can you be confident that the recovery tank if free of contamiments such as burnout or alternate oils? It's a bad gamble.
"Tip of the Day" Remember to remove power first.
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