When a unit blows the breaker, the very first thing to do is look
at cleaning the outdoor unit. If the behavior continues, the next
step is to measure the amp draw of the motor. If this is well
within spec, the breaker may need to be replaced, it is not rare
for them to become weak with age. Some units benefit greatly by a
bit of shade on the outdoor unit. When temperatures are out of
control I would not recommend spraying water on the coil as the
mineral build up will exceed the limited benefit, though it is
often done.
Have you been adding Freon on a regular basis? A 20^ drop
between supply and return would be as good as you would ever do.
It will not be as much as the ambient goes up and can be as little
as 10 or 12. If the large diameter line entering your outdoor
unit is sweating or very cold, you are probably fine. The small
diameter line should be very hot to the touch. Make sure that the
filter is clean to allow sufficient air to move across the coil.
There should be an access door of some type at the A-coil that
would let you inspect the cleanliness of the coils.
You can test for a physical leak by squirting soapy water on the
fittings. Lava soap made into a liquid makes a great leak
detector. Unless the leak is substantial, it will be very hard to
see with a gauge set. The pressure numbers change continually
with temperature, etc. On a good hot day, I like the R22 scale to
read about 45. There is certainly more science involved than
this. The pressure you read is not like reading air pressure on a
tire gauge.
Residential split systems are meant to be 15 year systems. There
are many that go longer, but increased SEER ratings and motor
efficiencies would indicate to consider replacement.
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
"Peter" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:59:38 GMT, Steve Kraus
wrote:
What's the point if you're not licensed to buy refrigerant
anyway?
Several things on my mind...... I had several techs look at the
problem
(paid for several opinions). This is on a system in operation
for about
12 years....seemed to be working fine and then blew a breaker
one day.
First team of techs said it was leaking "like a sieve" from the
flare coupling
by the metering valve. When they checked the freon, it was
only a little
low. So one would think "leaking like a sieve" means freon
should be
pretty low. But they quoted 375 head pressure and 55 low
pressurre.
Estimated cost to repair leak and clean both coils was 650 - to
850 dollars.
Second tech comes in, measures charge, looks at leak (doesn't
use a sniffer) and
says "you have a leak, you're a little low on freon.....I will
overcharge the system a
little to so it will work until you have a chance to talk to our
salesperson.". He
estimated 1200. to correct the leak, another $500 to clean
the evaporator coil.
Total of $1800. Clear message "Buy a new system" He was
very technically correct
in saying.."overcharging will kill the compressor" and " you
will have water damage
on floor" (low freon will cause evap coil to freeze).
Another tech suggested using a can of HVAC-R stop leak.
Three weeks later, system is still cooling fine. I am looking
to verify loss of freon.
One way or another, it's important to get this situation
resolved.
With a new Bryant A/C running anywhere from 5 to 10 K (actual
quotes)....... it would be
important to me to see exactly how much of a leak is there and
IF it can be stopped by
a can of HVAC-R sealer which was recently recommended. Also
knowing how much of
a charge remains would be helpful to be able to discuss
"solutions" intelligently. Do I
have 6 months to replace the system or 6 days. Also, did
cleaning the coils actually
make a major difference in operating efficiency.
The members on this forum are a fantastic source of information
and guidence making
it easier to become "knowledgeable" to solve minor problems,
perform routine
maintenance maintenance and to make intelligent choics"
Peter