How To Add Freon To House Ac

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It's possible to add Freon to your air conditioner unit yourself, but you'll need some general cognition about ACs and a few specific tools to exercise it correctly. The process can be unsafe, and so hire a qualified professional if y'all experience unsure almost what to do. Starting time by diagnosing the problem to make sure low refrigerant is the issue. Once confirmed, and so make certain the inside of the air conditioner is clean before you begin. You'll demand a refrigerant approximate gear up with 3 valves and a canister of R-22 or R410A refrigerant to proceed.

1
Check for vents blowing warm or room temperature air. This is a tell-tale sign that your unit needs a refill of refrigerant. Still, a broken thermostat may cause the aforementioned problem. If it's a refrigerant issue, the air temperature will steadily abound warmer over time because your unit is slowly losing refrigerant.^[one]
- If a cleaved thermostat or other issue is causing the warm air, the temperature of the air will probably spike or fluctuate.
ii
Expect for ice on the coils. Peek through the front window of the Air conditioning unit of measurement to inspect the pipes inside. If the pipes and coils look frosty or water ice-covered, this ways you're experiencing a leak and slowly losing refrigerant. The leak needs to be repaired by a qualified HVAC technician or you'll continue to experience the aforementioned problem.^[2]
- Calculation refrigerant without fixing the leak may further harm your Ac unit of measurement.
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three
Look for water accumulation on the floor near your furnace. Inspect the surface area around your furnace. If you see water pooling around it, this indicates condensation. Your coils were most likely icy, and at present the ice has melted effectually the furnace expanse.^[3]
- The water can impairment your furnace and compound your bug, and so it's all-time to accept a qualified HVAC technician come up out to inspect the effect.^[4]
4
Have a qualified HVAC technician repair any leaks. AC units are sealed tightly and the Freon should never leak. If you lot need to refill refrigerant, you probably have a leak. You lot will continue to experience the same bug until the leak is addressed.^[v]
- Adding more refrigerant is a quick fix, just eventually this volition damage your unit.

1

Schedule or perform routine maintenance before adding more Freon. Your Air-conditioning's air filter, blower bicycle, evaporator roll, and condenser scroll need to exist cleaned earlier you lot "charge" your unit with more refrigerant. Adding more than refrigerant to a unit of measurement with dirty parts can harm the Ac.^[half-dozen]
2
Choose the right refrigerant for your unit. Putting the incorrect refrigerant in your unit can cause combustion, injury, and property damage. Check your AC manufacturer's operating guide to detect out which refrigerant your unit of measurement needs. If you don't accept the operating guide, bank check the electrical command box or the unit of measurement's cabinet for the information. The two near common refrigerants are R-22 and R410A.
- R-22 is mostly used in older units and is slowly being phased out because it is an ozone depleting material.^[7]
- If your AC is leaking R-22, it'southward important that yous get the problem fixed as shortly as possible. Since R-22 is in the process of being discontinued, the price for it has skyrocketed and will simply continue to get higher.^[8]
iii
Protect your eyes, skin, and lungs when working with refrigerant. Wear condom goggles and thick gloves when handling Freon. Never directly inhale whatsoever refrigerant; doing so tin can pb to sudden death. Some refrigerants are particularly hazardous and require respiratory protection -- read the packaging for more information.
- If yous get Freon on your skin, rinse the area with water and seek medical handling immediately.
- R-717 and R-764 refrigerants are extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs. R-717 is combustible. Handle with caution.
4

Brand sure the outside temperature is higher up 55°F (12.vii°C) before proceeding. Liquid Freon will automatically seek the coldest area of an enclosed Air-conditioning unit between the furnace gyre and the outside condensing unit. When outdoor temperatures are under 55°F, the coldest area of your arrangement will most likely exist the outside unit of measurement. The Freon will not behave properly in these atmospheric condition.^[ix]

1
Consider having a professional perform this procedure. It is highly recommended that a qualified professional refill and recharge your Ac unit. The procedure itself is dangerous, and if done incorrectly, you can damage your unit. Homeowners are permitted to add refrigerant in the U.S., but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that anyone you lot rent to do the job have a professional certification.^[10]
- Proceed with caution if you decide to exercise this yourself. Improper handling of refrigerant tin can cause injury, death, explosions, and belongings damage.
2

Turn off your AC unit at the thermostat and breaker. Go to the thermostat that operates your air conditioner. Turn it to the "off" position. Your unit of measurement will either accept a fused disconnect or excursion breaker attached to it. If your unit has fuses, disconnect them. If your unit has a circuit breaker, turn the breaker off.
3
Claw up the refrigerant gauges to the valve connections. In that location are 3 valve connections attached to your unit'southward hardware, with a valve on each side (left and right). Attach the judge with the blue hose to the low-pressure level valve on the left side. Attach the judge with the red hose to the high-pressure valve on the right side.^[11]
- Leave the middle valve open for now; that is where you'll connect the yellow hose to feed the refrigerant into the system.
iv

Turn the Air conditioning unit back on and look about 15 minutes. After you turn the AC back on, the unit will need to run for several minutes then that it can stabilize itself. You won't get an accurate reading on the refrigerant gauges until the Air-conditioning has stabilised.
5
Open the canister of refrigerant by twisting the spout on the bottom. Attach the yellow hose to the refrigerant canister'due south valve and attach the other stop to the eye valve connection on your guess. In that location will be a small knob on the bottom of the refrigerant canister. Twist it several times to open up the refrigerant.^[12]
- The middle valve is the one between the blue and red valve connections.
6

Open the blue low-pressure valve on the left side. Open it for a few seconds, so shut information technology. Open it for a few more than seconds, then shut it once more. Continue doing this. Yous desire to slowly allow small amounts of the refrigerant into the unit at a time until you accomplish your target subcooling temperature.
vii
Lookout man the gauge until you reach the target subcooling temperature. The target subcooling temperature is stated on the outdoor unit rating plate. Use the gauge to monitor the temperature so y'all know when to shut the valve.^[13]
- For example, the rating plate might say something like "ten degree TXV sub-cooling."
8
Turn off the valve and disconnect the guess set. Once the target subcooling temperature is reached, turn the valve all the way off. Twist the knob on the refrigerant canister to stop refrigerant from going into the hose. Disconnect all of the hoses and the gauge set from the AC unit.^[14]
- Since the unit is running during this process, in that location's no demand to restart your unit after adding refrigerant.
9
Perform an electronic leak test to ensure safe functioning. Yous tin purchase an electronic leak detector at well-nigh dwelling improvement stores and online. Each detector is slightly dissimilar, only in full general you lot but demand to run the tool along the refrigeration components to browse for a leak.^[15]
- If you don't experience qualified to do this yourself, take a certified HVAC technician come up out to test the unit for you lot.

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Things You'll Need

R-22 or R410A refrigerant
Refrigerant gauge gear up
Blue, red, and yellowish hoses
Electronic leak detector

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Commodity Summary X

Earlier you add Freon to an Air-conditioning unit, make certain to clean the air filter, blower bicycle, and coils to ensure your unit is running smoothly. Then, put on some gloves and safe spectacles to protect yourself from the Freon and turn off your Ac. After it is off, hook upward the refrigerant gauges to the valve connections. Plough the Air-conditioning back on and expect 15 minutes so you tin can go an accurate reading on the judge. And so, twist the spout of the bottom of the canister to open the refrigerant and let it fill up until y'all reach the target subcooling temperature To learn how to stay safe while using Freon, continue reading.

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