I have a Goodman CK30-1A (2.5 Ton?) unit which had been freezing up recently. This unit has been in place approximately 8 years. When things started warming up I fired it up for the season. It would freeze up after an hour or so. I called a tech who came and said it was low, 3 pounds to be exact. He did the usual gas and go.

The next day I notice a loud vibration and no cooling. I go outside to find what I assume to be the compressor periodically making a loud noise. The unit says it holds 76oz/4.75 pounds of refrigerant. Now with him adding ~65% R22 back into the system and saying there is no leak this is fishy to me.

I guess my question is what does this sound like? I assume the unit is now toast and will need replacement. Is it possible air may have got into the system or does it sound like a larger issue? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

There had to be a leak to add refrigerant.

Refrigerant is permanent and you never have to add unless there is a leak.

Sounds like you were taken for a ride. Three pounds is a bit much.
The extra refrigerant has probably damaged the compressor due to high pressure or forcing the refrigerant oil out of the compressor crankcase or it may have damaged the valves in the compressor causing the noise also.

You might get another HVAC company to check your system or just bite the bullet and buy a new one.

Get at least 2 estimates and with the system being 8 years old also replace the inside unit and line set so you have a complete new system that will perform correctly. It is possible that very small or powedered piece of metal from the dying compressor could have contaminated other system parts.

You could save the line set but the cost of the flush to clean it would almost equal the cost of new copper lines.

The indoor unit will also be sized for the new outdoor system as a matched set. R-22 units are still available but you might consider the new style R-410 units. R-22 will be around for some time but the R-410 is becoming the industry standard.

That would mean your unit was only holding 1.75# of gas before the tech added his 3#. I would think that it would ice up a lot faster than in a hour. I would think that with the small size if the system that it would begin freezing almost immediately when the compressor started. My guess is that he grossly overcharged your system which would almost certainly damage the valves in the compressor. With that said I would contact the same company, and ask that they re-visit the system because it has worsened since it was "repaired" and ask that the charge be recovered and weighed. If the charge is indeed over more than 1# or so I would then insist that they provide the parts (compressor and filter dryer) and labor to do those repairs "on the house" since their tech was at fault for the compressor failure. If they refuse at that point I would say you have grounds for legal proceedings to recoup any money you will have to spend to have the repairs/system replacement done. Do keep in mind that the typical life of a unit is 10 years so maybe you should be happy with a nice discount on a replacement instead of a repair.

Soucy97722 I like the idea of a discount on a new unit to solve the problem. Lawyers are expensive and it would be hard to prove.

Paralagrat & HVAC1000- Wouldn't to hard if he was given a severvic call ticket with what he did and amount of parts used( HOWE MUCH HE PUT IN THE SYSTEM) . What do you all think about that Good luck and GOD BLES TO BOTH OF YOU :::F.B.E.

Usually techs just estimate the amount of refrigerant they put in. The proper way is to weight their tank before and than weight it again after the install, nobody bothers to do that.
The tech probably made up the figure of 3 lbs. figuring you don't know enough to check your system's label.
Any tech can check if they have installed the right amount by checking the proper pressures on your unit. I have noticed they do often overfill.
Call the owner of the company you had come out and tell him what is going on and ask to have your system's pressure checked. They can perform a simple formula to get the proper level. This is called superheat and subcool. www.contractingbusiness.com/25/issue/article/false/17963/issue (I am trying to post a link to a site about superheat but I don't think this forum will let me. You will have to search this up yourself)


I always recommend checking the A/C company with Better Business Bureau. And if needed file a complaint. This usually gets their attention.

I would like to add: All techs know how to do the pressure and temp. measurements formulas but very few bother to do it.

The hard cold facts are, most techs shove $20 worth of freon in a system ( 3 lbs is $20 worth ) collect a few hundred from a homeowner then drive merrily down the road with little concern about the damage they have done or if the job was done proper.

You have all been very helpful and I am grateful. They sent the same tech out again this morning. He apparently (I am at work so I won't be able to verify everything until tonight) according to my wife, emptied 0.5# out and everything is fine. He wrote some figures on the invoice this time about pressures and such.

From what I have heard this doesn't add up. He claims the temperature difference from the other day made it off. I'm guessing he just wrote that amount to cover up his gross overfilling. What do you guys think? Let it run until it dies since its over 8 years old now or pay another company to check up on this guy's mistake?

With regard to the company as a whole, we have used them before without issue as have several family members. The BBB has no complaints on them.

You can post the measurements and pressure readings here and one of us with do the formula to see if its accurate.

Outside temp. makes no difference. It is all figured in.

saujad ((All techs know how to do the pressure and temp. measurements formulas but very few bother to do it))

Not all techs know how to do the above. That is the problem.

((Outside temp. makes no difference. It is all figured in.))

Outside air in condenser temperature is very important
Outside air out of condenser temperature is very important.
Liquid line temperature
Suction line temperature
Liquid line pressure
Suction line pressure
Air temp of return air right before the indoor evaporator
Humidity level from a sling phycrometer at return air.
Amprobe reading of the compressor during the charging phase should also be monitored to prevent dogging down the compressor while charging especially with R-410 since it is being charged as a liquid.

To do it correctly you should have all these measurements and know what your doing with them. The days of gas and go are over.

TO all: HVAC1000 IS EXACTLY RIGHT. Temp. does effect pressure ,and it could have been overcharged but you cannot always go by the #amount on the name plate , that amount is the factory charge which is figured for a 15' line set (the copper lines going from the outdoor unit to indoor unit) anything over 15' would need more refrigerant for proper charge on the initial start up. The tech should have weighed the charge using refrigerant scales which most all service techs should have, And charged the unit based on super heat or subcooling of the refrigerant. You cannot get an acurate charge just dumping refrigerant in a system.