Anyone Recharged Their A/C Refrigerant?

[joeshmoe]

I have a Coleman Mach 11K unit that has been blowing warmer and warmer for about a year now. The **** thing is only 3 years old with VERY little use. Can't be expected to buy a new one already, right?

It finally quit blowing cold this weekend. Went on top to check all the normal stuff. Caps tested good. Compressor is clearly working hard as it gets super hot with no condensation accumulating anywhere. Low side is no where near being cool. So....

I snooped around online and found out you can repair these things even though they're marketed as "unserviceable". I bought a Supco bullet service port to install inline on the low side, BUT I first need to find the leak and determine how bad it is and whether dumping in refrigerant/sealant/oil will do the trick. Problem is, where do I find this R410a? It isn't exactly like you go to Walmart and pick some up. Where would I find it without paying a fortune?

[joeshmoe]

garyemunson wrote:
As a suggestion, you might want to install the service port and determine if there is any charge left. I'm assuming you have a leak tester? Using soapy water hardly gets it as there are too many places hard to see. If it's completely empty (probably) you could get a can of 134A (automobile refrigerant) and charge it with that just to find the leak. This would be cheaper than chasing down the 410 and wasting it for leak testing purposes. You are going to have to evacuate it to fix it anyway so the 134 will go away. I'm thinking you will find out why they are called 'unserviceable'. Usually these units last a long time...you just drew the short straw. If you have "Big Lots" stores near you, they are frequently the cheapest place to get 134A.

By leak tester, you mean UV dye and and a blacklight? Cause that's what I've used on every auto A/C system with a leak.

From what I've read on the "pro" HVAC sites, 410 and only 410 is designed to run in these compressors due to the higher operating pressure. I have a bunch of 134 in the garage though.

you just drew the short straw.

Yeah, that's the story of my life lately.

[tempforce]

Do not use any stop leak or products with stop leak. If you ever plan on having a shop service a a/c unit after you have used it. As they will probably need to replace most of the components in the system. That stuff is real nasty. It does stop leaks.

[joeshmoe]

You assume correctly.

I wasn't able to find anything but the 25 lb. tanks on amazon. I'll have to check ebay.

What a complete bummer to have this newish A/C fail. I have a mind to complain to Airexcel, but that'll probably get me no where.

[garyemunson]

As a suggestion, you might want to install the service port and determine if there is any charge left. I'm assuming you have a leak tester? Using soapy water hardly gets it as there are too many places hard to see. If it's completely empty (probably) you could get a can of 134A (automobile refrigerant) and charge it with that just to find the leak. This would be cheaper than chasing down the 410 and wasting it for leak testing purposes. You are going to have to evacuate it to fix it anyway so the 134 will go away. I'm thinking you will find out why they are called 'unserviceable'. Usually these units last a long time...you just drew the short straw. If you have "Big Lots" stores near you, they are frequently the cheapest place to get 134A.

[Sam_Spade]

I hope you realize that you also need a vacuum pump (a fairly healthy one) to evacuate the system before you pump a full charge of freon back into it.

Then.....leaks are most often located by putting a little freon in and using an electronic "sniffer" to find the leak.

What if the leak turns out to be in the compressor ? Or in the evaporator or condensor ??

Layman attempts to fix "non-servicable" refrigeration units usually turn out bad......with the best ones just wasting time and money.....and the worst ones ending up with injuries.

[darsben1]

I will assume You have the proper gauges etc. for the job and are familiar with the dangers of high side versus low side, know how to draw a vacuum in the lines etc.
Amazon, Ebay both carry the refrigerant you specified. Ebay has smaller containers with stop leak in it. Either way it ain't cheap