How To Install Freon In Home Ac

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It'due south possible to add Freon to your air conditioner unit yourself, but yous'll need some general noesis about ACs and a few specific tools to practise it correctly. The process tin be dangerous, so rent a qualified professional person if you experience unsure about what to do. Start by diagnosing the problem to make sure low refrigerant is the issue. In one case confirmed, then make sure the inside of the air conditioner is clean earlier y'all begin. You'll need a refrigerant gauge set with 3 valves and a canister of R-22 or R410A refrigerant to proceed.

i
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 cleaved thermostat may cause the aforementioned problem. If it's a refrigerant issue, the air temperature will steadily abound warmer over time because your unit of measurement is slowly losing refrigerant.^[1]
- If a cleaved thermostat or other upshot is causing the warm air, the temperature of the air volition probably spike or fluctuate.
2
Await for ice on the coils. Peek through the front window of the Air conditioning unit to inspect the pipes inside. If the pipes and coils wait frosty or ice-covered, this means you lot're experiencing a leak and slowly losing refrigerant. The leak needs to exist repaired by a qualified HVAC technician or you'll continue to experience the same trouble.^[2]
- Adding refrigerant without fixing the leak may farther damage your Ac unit of measurement.
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3
Look for h2o aggregating on the floor near your furnace. Inspect the area effectually your furnace. If y'all encounter water pooling effectually information technology, this indicates condensation. Your coils were most likely icy, and at present the ice has melted around the furnace area.^[3]
- The water tin damage your furnace and compound your problems, so it'south best to have a qualified HVAC technician come out to audit the outcome.^[4]
four
Accept a qualified HVAC technician repair whatsoever leaks. Air-conditioning units are sealed tightly and the Freon should never leak. If you lot demand to refill refrigerant, you probably have a leak. Yous will continue to feel the same problems until the leak is addressed.^[5]
- Adding more refrigerant is a quick set up, but eventually this will damage your unit.
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1

Schedule or perform routine maintenance before adding more Freon. Your Air-conditioning'south air filter, blower bicycle, evaporator coil, and condenser coil need to be cleaned before you "accuse" your unit of measurement with more refrigerant. Adding more refrigerant to a unit with dirty parts can harm the AC.^{[half dozen]}
2
Choose the right refrigerant for your unit. Putting the wrong refrigerant in your unit tin can cause combustion, injury, and property damage. Check your Ac manufacturer's operating guide to notice out which refrigerant your unit needs. If y'all don't have the operating guide, cheque the electrical control box or the unit'southward cabinet for the data. The ii most common refrigerants are R-22 and R410A.
- R-22 is mostly used in older units and is slowly being phased out considering information technology is an ozone depleting material.^[7]
- If your Ac is leaking R-22, it's important that you go the problem stock-still as before long as possible. Since R-22 is in the process of existence discontinued, the price for it has skyrocketed and will only continue to get higher.^[8]
3
Protect your eyes, skin, and lungs when working with refrigerant. Habiliment prophylactic goggles and thick gloves when handling Freon. Never straight inhale any refrigerant; doing so can lead to sudden death. Some refrigerants are especially hazardous and require respiratory protection -- read the packaging for more information.
- If you get Freon on your pare, rinse the expanse with water and seek medical treatment immediately.
- R-717 and R-764 refrigerants are extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs. R-717 is flammable. Handle with caution.
4

Brand certain the exterior temperature is above 55°F (12.7°C) earlier proceeding. Liquid Freon will automatically seek the coldest surface area of an enclosed AC unit of measurement betwixt the furnace whorl and the outside condensing unit of measurement. When outdoor temperatures are under 55°F, the coldest area of your organisation will most likely be the outside unit of measurement. The Freon volition not deport properly in these conditions.^[9]

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1
Consider having a professional perform this procedure. It is highly recommended that a qualified professional refill and recharge your Air conditioning unit. The procedure itself is dangerous, and if done incorrectly, yous can damage your unit. Homeowners are permitted to add refrigerant in the U.S., just the Ecology Protection Agency (EPA) requires that anyone y'all hire to do the chore take a professional person certification.^[10]
- Proceed with caution if you lot decide to do this yourself. Improper handling of refrigerant tin can cause injury, death, explosions, and property damage.
ii

Turn off your AC unit of measurement at the thermostat and breaker. Go to the thermostat that operates your air conditioner. Plough information technology to the "off" position. Your unit will either have a fused disconnect or circuit breaker fastened to it. If your unit has fuses, disconnect them. If your unit has a circuit billow, turn the breaker off.
3
Hook up the refrigerant gauges to the valve connections. There are iii valve connections attached to your unit's hardware, with a valve on each side (left and right). Attach the gauge with the blue hose to the low-pressure valve on the left side. Attach the gauge with the scarlet hose to the loftier-pressure valve on the right side.^[11]
- Leave the centre valve open for now; that is where you lot'll connect the yellow hose to feed the refrigerant into the system.
four

Turn the AC unit dorsum on and wait about 15 minutes. After you plow the Ac dorsum on, the unit of measurement will need to run for several minutes so that it can stabilize itself. You won't get an accurate reading on the refrigerant gauges until the Ac has stabilised.
5
Open the canister of refrigerant by twisting the spout on the bottom. Adhere the yellowish hose to the refrigerant canister's valve and attach the other end to the eye valve connectedness on your estimate. In that location will exist a small knob on the bottom of the refrigerant canister. Twist it several times to open the refrigerant.^[12]
- The middle valve is the one between the blue and carmine valve connections.
6

Open the blue low-pressure level valve on the left side. Open information technology for a few seconds, and then close information technology. Open it for a few more seconds, then close information technology again. Continue doing this. You want to slowly permit small amounts of the refrigerant into the unit at a time until yous accomplish your target subcooling temperature.
7
Watch the judge until yous 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 you know when to close the valve.^[xiii]
- For case, the rating plate might say something like "x degree TXV sub-cooling."
8
Turn off the valve and disconnect the gauge set. Once the target subcooling temperature is reached, plow the valve all the way off. Twist the knob on the refrigerant canister to cease refrigerant from going into the hose. Disconnect all of the hoses and the gauge ready from the AC unit.^[14]
- Since the unit is running during this process, there's no need to restart your unit later on calculation refrigerant.
9
Perform an electronic leak test to ensure safe operation. You lot tin buy an electronic leak detector at nigh domicile improvement stores and online. Each detector is slightly different, only in general you but demand to run the tool along the refrigeration components to scan for a leak.^[fifteen]
- If you don't experience qualified to practise this yourself, have a certified HVAC technician come out to test the unit of measurement for y'all.
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Things You'll Demand

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

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Article Summary X

Before you add Freon to an AC unit, make sure to make clean the air filter, blower cycle, and coils to ensure your unit is running smoothly. Then, put on some gloves and rubber glasses to protect yourself from the Freon and turn off your Ac. After it is off, hook upwards the refrigerant gauges to the valve connections. Turn the AC back on and wait 15 minutes so you can get an accurate reading on the judge. Then, twist the spout of the bottom of the canister to open up the refrigerant and let it make full until you reach the target subcooling temperature To acquire how to stay rubber while using Freon, go on reading.

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