Another newbie R22 / R22a charging pressure question

[ctgblue]

I have a slow leak in one of my units, a couple of lbs per year
I have been getting help charging it and decided to get my own gauge.
The inside green scale is labeled R22, it maxes out at 70 where the outside line reads 115

I checked my unit that has never been recharged and it read approx 63 on the green and a little over 100 on the outside
I put in 3 cans of R22a from Envirosafe and after the second can the water poured out the drain as the coils thawed. After the third can it read around 64green 104 outside line.
Outside temp was approximately 97°F

Neither unit is very cold inside, I don't have a thermometer to read the outlet air, but it cannot be much under 70, the house climbs into the 80s with AC on all the time, never drops to low 70's until around 4am.
Are they both overcharged?
The last guy who was a tech and serviced it complaineded that the new guys never charge these units high enough so they never really get cold.
I assumed (yea I know) that if I matched the two, I would not overcharge the one I was working on.

Both units were new with the house and are about 7 years old

Your thoughts?

thanks,
hot in SC

[superd77]

Read site rules. NO DIY!!!

Sound like you screwed your unit up pretty bad.

Call a professional to fix it. Let your fingers do the walking!

[EdC]

Isnt the Enviro-Safe actually R-290 (propane)?

I'm sure I dont want any part of some HO brew of
refrigerants in my recovery tank.

You're on your own with this.

[superd77]

DON"T LIGHT A MATCH!!!!!

[beenthere]

Well, now that you really screwed up your system.
Call a better company then you have been using. Since that old guy just charges by gauge pressure, instead of the right way.

Be prepared for a big bill.

Since you can't read and follow rules. you can't follow instructions on how to charge.

Anybody in their right mind, would charge by vapor pressure only on a standard conventional system.

[beenthere]

More is better. If 2 cans made it cold, 3 cans will really make it cold. NOT

[ctgblue]

OK, so I matched the pressure from the other unit, which pro did last 6 yrs, addding until coils thawed and water drained, same as he did, and I screwed it up how?

Considering these guys have ALWAYS had to come out twice to pressure it back up after the first call, making the expensive first call more

Again, they are both Comfortmaker 10's, both pressures match (one never being serviced), the air is MUCH better now, but still not as great as when the one guy pressurized the hell out of it.

I understand you guys hate DIY, but it's already been DIY'd, do you actually know what the low side pressure should be?

3 cans made the pressures match

and there is no other place that hit's this side of town

[superd77]

Maybe you should have put in 4 cans!!

[superd77]

It ain't about matching pressures dummy!

Its about doing it right!!

If you or the other guys don't have a clue, leave it the hell alone!!

Call a contractor before you blow your house up!

[beenthere]

LOL...
They probably used R22, and NOT R22A.
They aren't the same.
Which by the way. mixing the 2 IS a federal violation.

There has to be more then one company that comes to your area.

They should have found and fixed the leak. It would have been cheaper then paying for them to put gas in twice a year.

You still didn't read teh rules. No prices either.

[beenthere]

There is NO, it should be at this pressure.

And now that you mixed the gasses. You have a cocktail mix. That no one knows what anything should read.

[RDP]

WTF.Yea get someone to fix the leak now and you won't have to worry about cooling your house anymore.BOOM!!!!!!!!!

[ctgblue]

LOL...
They probably used R22, and NOT R22A.
They aren't the same.
Which by the way. mixing the 2 IS a federal violation.

There has to be more then one company that comes to your area.

They should have found and fixed the leak. It would have been cheaper then paying for them to put gas in twice a year.

You still didn't read teh rules. No prices either.

That's what I thought, but the AC guys all told me it could be , and probably was some tiny nail knick in the wall and finding it would cost more and do more home damage than filling it every year

I will attempt to find a better company and pay them to come check the pressures on both units

deleted call prices

[RDP]

Put 5 more cans in while smoking a cig and call me in the morn.

[snupytcb]

i saw this post earlier and i just knew he was going to get yelled at.

[ctgblue]

i saw this post earlier and i just knew he was going to get yelled at.

yelling at I can handle, I yell a dumbass newbies all the time, however, constructive insults go a lot further in keeping this stuff from happening again

like the smartass with the cigarettes comment, yea, that helps how

for those with technical help and insults, thanks, I will attempt to find someone else who comes out this far and get it examined

however, after borrowing a thermometer and finding both units, pressurized the same, both cooling to 64 and 66 at the vents, is a service call really necessary and is the 80+ inside temp just because it's a frikkin 100°F outside and the house is an open 2450sqft 2 story?

[beenthere]

With that cocktail.
Its more problem then just outside temp.

[ctgblue]

With that cocktail.
Its more problem then just outside temp.

I guess I'm not getting the point, if both units, one never touched, are cooling at the same temp, same pressure, can you explain the problem.

I understand one has been mixed, but the last AC guy said he mixed it last year too. R22a, which is why I bought it.
Rural SC here, so choices are limited.

Do I need to get someone else to come vac the system and recharge it?
Nobody seems to want to try and find the leak as all lines are through walls, up into ceiling floor cavity, then up a center wallspace right to the attic units

[beenthere]

More leaks are in the coils, then in line sets.

You just gave another good reason not to use that HAVC company.

Mixing refrigerants is a violation of EPA regs.

Just because they are blowing out the same temps, doesn't mean they should be.
Air flow, effects coil temp difference.
maybe the one you mixed, is suppose to be 5 or 10° cooler then it is.
And since it isn't, its putting more load on teh other unit.

Yes, it must be recovered, vavuumed, and recharged with new R22 only.

I wouldn't use that company again, if mixing gasses is their normal answer to a leaking system.

[jrbenny]

DIY - not here.

Don't post it again.

This thread is closed.