On 7/31/2010 1:19 PM, Grumpy wrote:
"The Daring wrote in message
...
On 7/30/2010 9:17 AM, jamesgangnc wrote:
On Jul 30, 9:25 am, The Daring
wrote:
On 7/30/2010 7:00 AM, ransley wrote:
My central AC a 1996 Lennox 3 ton stopped blowing air yesterday, I
looked at the air handler coil and it was frozen, filter is new and a
4" so I let it thaw and ran it without the filter thinking added
airflow would help. In about 40 minutes it froze again. Airflow
unfrozen hasnt changed, its the same out the vents as always so I dont
think the blower is bad or any restrictions. When an old unit leaks
freon is that usualy the end of life of the compressor or air handler,
is it often possible or easy to find and fix a leak without spending
alot. I will call a tech today and I hope the leak is small enough
that it will last the year but a few days ago it was fine. Will I
damage anything running it low on freon for about 30 minute cycles
till it starts to freeze and let it thaw, a bit of cool air still
comes out.
It could be something as simple as leaking valve cores in the
Schrader service valves. I've seen leaks develop years later
because the valve cores were not tightened at the factory or
the installation tech didn't tighten the cores enough when
reinstalling them. Tiny leaks can be handled by a product I've
had good luck with manufactured by Cliplight called SUPER SEAL HVACR.
It's a stop leak for AC systems.
http://www.cliplight.com/hvacr/produ...27&upperCatID=
TDD
Professional opinions are mixed on "sealers". Many techs shy away
from them.
Many techs don't know how to properly use them and like most folks
are afraid of something different. I most definitely don't push
sealers as a cure all and prefer brazing up a hole in a system but
some tiny leaks respond very well to the sealer I've used. I'm also
fond of UV florescent dye for finding tiny leaks. I've used it to
find pinhole sized leaks in many refrigeration and AC systems.
TDD
Sorry TDD but the only reliable leak detector on market today is H-10G
presently manufacture by Bacharach they are not cheap but they are good.
You take good fart it will detected, UV florescent dye if I can use nothing
ales
I can find most leaks with the Mark 1 Eyeball and E240/ns64 Ear. I
have not only the UV dye but ultrasonic leak detectors and sniffers.
Another item I use is dry nitrogen. I will break down an exasperating
system into zones, seal them off, pressurize them and look for a
pressure drop. When me and my buddy install an AC system in a house
that won't be occupied for a while, we don't install the condenser
but pressurize the line set connected to the evaporator with N2 and
leave it. If the pressure drops or vanishes a week later, we know a
carpenter put a nail through the line set.
TDD