While in class yesterday we discussed among other things Refrigerant and It reminding me of a story I would like to share with you and an encounter I had with a customer.
I had just performed a maintenance for a new customer. Went through the steps and could find nothing wrong with the A/C system so I presented her a bill for $65.00. She looked at me with a frown and said that I wasn’t done. I asked what do you mean? Her reply was I didn’t replace the Refrigerant!!!. apparently every time the past contractor did a maintenance he would bill her for refrigerant change to make the system cool better, Every year $250.00. I assured her that wasn’t so. but she was convinced I had to do it.
This perception comes from the Auto industry. As cars A/Cs run sometimes they leak as they have a belt driven compressor. People add Freon to make it get cold so naturally its is mistaken that this is the case for home systems.
Once an A/C is sealed It should not require more Refrigerant unless their is a leak. Also Refrigerant does not go bad, Ever. Once its in , its in and sealed. I tell my students on all my systems I am very reluctant of hooking up gages as when I do I loose a little gas. I find it funny how so many company’s add 1 pound of Freon to a system every time they do a maintenance, In many cases they do not and just charge the customer.
