Air Conditioner/Heat Pump advice

[rundrave]

went to turn on my A/C for the first time the other day and it didn't blow any cold air.

I had a HVAC guy I trust out last night and after some checking he said I was out of freon. My unit holds 5 gallons he could put 5 in at $30 a gallon but if it all leaked out I would regret it if it only lasted a day. Or he could put 1 gallon in and put a leak detector on and troubleshoot from there. He put in 3/4 of a gallon and then found a leak in the coil on the unit inside the house down the in basement.

So here is my conundrum, I still have no A/C which hasn't been that bad but we are managing. I am gone for the weekend so don't have to deal with the heat in the house until I return Sunday evening.

The HVAC guy put a gauge and measured how much freon was in the system before he left last night. His plan is to return on Monday and see how much is left in the system. He was back logged with about 60 other customers yesterday so he didn't have as much time as he would have liked to work with the leak. If its a slow leak he may be able to add some sort of product that will crystallize and potentially stop the leak. If not I will likely need to replace the coil which he said was around $1k.... yuck.

My system is a heat pump outside and a propane furnace inside that is 13 years old. I have lived in the home for 4 years and have a few issues in the past with each unit. Last year was a capacitor, other issues were all minor like a connection vibrating loose etc, but nothing significant until now.

If this is a slow leak do I put any trust in this product to stop the leak and hope for the best from there? If I have to replace the coil am I going to be better off long term to just drop $4k+ on an entire new system that's more efficient etc, or put $1k in this one for the coil and see what happens?

I know there isn't a easy answer and if its all fixed today something could easily go bad tomorrow new or old. I am looking for advice on the leak product etc. I am not sure if there are any HVAC guys who can offer any other advice or suggestions. Just trying to prepare myself for any scenario come Monday.

[BoxMN]

I'm in similar boat, with a 12 yo Trane AC unit. Leaking at the condensor but can't really be fixed. I am waiting for my trusted guy to come check, but so far it is working/cooling since he added last August, but will see once he checks it. I will keep adding if I can and it isn't bad, but like you, just not sure yet. I will be watching the advice you get. Good luck!

[fishersofmen]

If you have a good heat pump like I do and a furnace that is only 13 years old I would personally be very hesitant to replace everything because of a leak in the A-coil. Can the leak not be reached and soldered? Not sure about the product that can possibly stop leaks have never heard of it.

1K for replacement of the A-coil above the furnace seems very steep. The coil itself is only a couple hundred bucks.

[rundrave]

Can the leak not be reached and soldered?

It was way inside the coil where he was detecting the leak. It wasnt an area that was easily accessible.

Here are some pics of my setup:

Can any of you speak to this Ruud model I have or this coil part to varify costs?

[Eric Wettschreck]

I've never heard of a product you put in an AC system for stopping leaks, that actually works. Then again, I'm no fan of mechanic in a can so take that for what it's worth.

As stated before, a grand for an A coil sounds awful high. Like really super duper high. The coil itself should be a couple hundred bucks. Couple hours tops to install. I realize people don't work for free and refrigerant isn't free either, but that still sounds high.

Can a person even get a 10 seer A coil anymore?

[nobody05]

there is a product out there that we use on a regular basic that so far has a 80% of them actually sealing up and never had a call back for leak refrigerent. It's about $100 for an 8 oz can. Its called EASY SEAL by Nu-Calgon.

[rundrave]

the guy stopped back out this evening. He put a gauge on the unit outside and it still had good pressure, it leaked some since last week but nothing significant. I am gonna go the option for the sealer.

Its called EASY SEAL by Nu-Calgon.

He showed me an empty can it was the same exact stuff and he said he has about the same success rate with it.

Gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best, wish me luck.