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damdash · Apr 26, 2009, 05:24 PM

I live in an apartment on the 2nd floor. The last couple of months I have had to call for assistance with the a/c at least once a month. When someone comes they charge the unit and that's it. After so long the unit will start run and run at one temp all day and won't be cooling. My quess is it's low on freon. I open the door to the unit and notice some pipes have ice around them. If I put the thermostat on fan and set to heater it will defrost about a gallon of water into a bucket. The system is a Lennox multi-position. I think the model # is c811-26-261-1p. Is it just freon or what. Something has to be wrong that freon has to be added every 3-4 weeks. What should I be looking to tell the office when I call them again.

KISS · Apr 26, 2009, 05:47 PM

How about "My system seems to have a leak because Freon has been added on x date and x date. Discharge into the atmosphere is prohibited by EPA rules. Can you possibly call a different vendor that knows what they are doing to find the leak. The service calls are obviously costing you money as well. (Take a picture of the iced up pipe)

Remind him also that the dripping water causes damage too depending on where it is.

Leaks are not easy to find, but there are lots of techniques. Charge with high pressure nitrogen and a little bit of frean and look electronically for the leak. There are fluorescent dies that can be added as well. Leak detection will take time.

dac122 · Apr 27, 2009, 06:07 AM

Refrigeration systems (A/C, HPs, etc.) are closed systems that should not leak. If you are low on refrigerant the leak should be found and fixed before recharging. Leaks can be tough to find, and I am not surprised many so-called pros would rather recharge than try to find the leak. But the real pros will find and fix the problem.

There are also other problems the system could be having at this point, so I would suggest finding someone who will take the time to find the problem.

KISS · Apr 27, 2009, 06:29 AM

A car system has a rotating seal and flexible hoses so they are more problematic.

Corrosion is a major problem. There are about 7 threaded joints in a house AC and a number of silver soldered (brazed) joints. Not cleaning off the flux is a potential corrosion issue.

damdash · Apr 28, 2009, 06:56 AM

To clarify I live in an apartment owned by a company. They have their own so called maintenance personnel who I see half the time just standing around talking. They know what they are doing cause they only fix it to last so long. If this was something I was paying for we would have had a problem if he had to come back out a second time.

KISS · Apr 28, 2009, 08:42 AM

Then simple enough. Either he fixes it or you call the EPA. Do it anonymously if you have to.

If it's R22, yhen you really have issues. Check the nameplate.

KISS · Apr 28, 2009, 08:53 AM

Send this to the office:

A leak repair timeline is specifically spelled out under epa section 608. The law mandates that refrigerant leaks be repaired within 30 days. This time frame is contingent not on the total quantity of refrigerant loss, but rather the projected discharge over a 12-month period based on the current leak rate. In order to track this information, the regulation requires companies to keep accurate records and submit them as required. Those who fail to comply face strict penalties.

Full details here:

EPA Section 608 Reduces Refrigerant Gas Emissions - Article Read

Next time the guy comes to service the unit post the regulations conspicuously.