Tech came out and said the evaporator coil was corroded and was
causing the
leak.
CY: Didn't he use a beeper? You mean he just looked at it and then
guessed?

The slow degradation of cooling power (versus sudden loss) was
indicatory of a bad evaporator coil, plus he visually observed
corrosion.
CY: Actually, it's a sign of a slow leak increasing to a moderate
leak. That leak could be in any of several places in the system. So
replacing the evaporator doesn't guarantee a fix. The leak may be some
where else.

Cost (parts, labor, installation) was $825. This seems high but wanted
to
check to see if in fact it is.
CY: Of course, we don't know if the evaporator is in the cellar, or
attic, or how easy it is to service. But from what I know of
evaporators (have installed several) it sounds high.

Also, was told two things can cause corrosion of coil:

1) Running a/c at low outside temperatures. I don't do this but am the
second owner of the home so don't know what the previous owner did.
CY: Could contribute to icing, but don't know that it promotes
corrosion.

2) Dirty filters. I change them pretty regularly, every 45 to 60 days.
Again, don't know what first owner of the home did.
CY: A dirty filter is the one which is working. A clean filter is
something to be worried, cause all the dirt is going right through. Of
coruse, dirt clogging the evaporator might be corrosive.

Will running the fan constantly help in case any ice does form on the
evaporator coil? I usually run the fan 24/7 to help distribute the air
more
evenly.
CY: Yes, running the fan full time I think it's a good idea. Sounds
like time to get a second opinion. Sounds like you need a tech with a
leak detector beeper to see where the leak really is.




--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:dlb1g.689978$084.579661@attbi_s22...
Over the last 2 or 3 summers I've had to have the HVAC tech come out
once
the temp starts to climb, to re-charge the upstairs a/c with Freon
(Trane
XE1000, 10 yr old unit). Obviously a leak, but cheaper to re-charge
than to
fix. Since last summer the Freon charge didn't last the season, I've
bit the
bullet and decided to repair the leak.

Tech came out and said the evaporator coil was corroded and was
causing the
leak. The slow degradation of cooling power (versus sudden loss) was
indicatory of a bad evaporator coil, plus he visually observed
corrosion.

Cost (parts, labor, installation) was $825. This seems high but wanted
to
check to see if in fact it is.

Also, was told two things can cause corrosion of coil:

1) Running a/c at low outside temperatures. I don't do this but am the
second owner of the home so don't know what the previous owner did.

2) Dirty filters. I change them pretty regularly, every 45 to 60 days.
Again, don't know what first owner of the home did.

Will running the fan constantly help in case any ice does form on the
evaporator coil? I usually run the fan 24/7 to help distribute the air
more
evenly.