Should I Charge Up My Old A/C Or Replace It?

If you are low on refrigerant then you have a leak. Refrigerant does not wear out and never needs replacement unless it has leaked out. If you have an older R-22 system and have a leaking coil your options unfortunately of repair or temporally charging are getting less viable.
Refrigerant 22 is in the last phases of a government mandated phase out. Production levels have been reduced over the years and supply and demand have driven prices up to record levels. Evaporator coil leaks are particularly troublesome due to many pin hole leaks caused by electrolysis. In order to make systems meet higher energy efficiency mandates manufactures over the past years made copper tubing thinner with interior rifling. This thinner tubing wall has shown to be more susceptible to developing pin hole leaks due to electrolysis caused by having dissimilar metals in the form of copper tubes and aluminum fins. These pin holes tend to develop in 8-12 years of use. Once formed repair is just about impossible. While it is still possible to replace the coil. Refrigerant 22 coils are going to become harder to get and R-22 itself is getting so expensive it may not be a good choice in the long run.
The good news is any new Refrigerant 410A system will be as much as 10%-40% more energy efficient or higher. You will also have a matched system that is designed to work together making you more comfortable as well. And everything will be under a new manufacture's warranty, up to lifetime on the compressor on some products.

Cool Tech has short term 0% and long term low payment financing as well to ease the blow to your budget. The savings you will get on your electric bill can offset much of that monthly payment as well. So the electric company helps you pay for it.

Cool Tech is offering a spring tune up special for $79.00. We will check all system components for proper operation including refrigerant charge. Cleaning the outdoor coil, clearing the drain and changing the (customer supplied) filter are also included. We will give you a detailed and honest evaluation of your systems condition. If we feel it can still supply your cooling needs for some years we will tell you. If however you decide to replace it we will credit the entire cost of the tune up toward the purchase of a new system.
Right now is the best time to determine your comfort needs for the upcoming summer. Don't wait for companies to get busy and prices to go up. Also ask about our one and two year maintenance agreements to keep you system in prime operating condition and keep your warranty requirements satisfied.

For more information or to schedule a free equipment replacement estimate or service call in the Arlington TX, Ft. Worth TX, Mansfield TX or Tarrant County and surrounding area, check out our website www.cooltechmechanical.com.

Why is my 10 year old A/C coil already leaking?

Leaking evaporator coils have became more common in newer systems due to a variety of factors. Manufactures have had to make the tubing thinner and added rifling groves on the inside of the tubing in order to get better heat transfer to meet government mandated energy efficiency levels. These thin spots in the tubing are also being exposed to higher concentrations of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs are produced from paint, glues and other construction materials that “out gas” these compounds especially in new construction. New home are also more air tight so these VOCs are more likely to be trapped in the home and then condense onto the coil and contribute to the formation of these pinhole leaks along with the electrolysis created by two dissimilar metals in the cooper tube and aluminum fin on the coil. Manufactures like Amana, Goodman and Trane are going to all aluminum tubing to try to combat this. Carrier and other are using tin plating to try to extend coil life. Lennox, American Standard, Byrant, Rheen, Ruud and other manufactures are all working on this known problem. Reducing VOC with proper ventilation with ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilators) and filtration with VOC reducing filters like Lennox's “Pure Aire” which using UVA lights and a catalyst to be one of the only filters that removes VOC will help extend coil life and create a healthier environment.For more information or to schedule a free equipment replacement estimate or service call in the Arlington TX, Ft. Worth TX, Mansfield TX or Tarrant County and surrounding area, check out our website www.cooltechmechanical.com.

How Often Should I Add Or Change Freon In My Air Conditioning Unit?

As an Air Conditioning and Heating contractor it sometimes surprises me how often we get asked this question. The simple answer is technically, never.

For the sake of this article I will refer to the refrigerant your Air Conditioner uses as “Freon”. This is actually a trade name used by a manufacture for their Refrigerant 22, or R-22. But like “Coke” it has become a commonly used term to describe all refrigerants by the public so I will use it here as well.

Air Conditioning systems use Freon to transfer heat from the air in the house to the air outside the house sort of like your car uses water or anti-freeze to transfer heat from the engine. But unlike anti-freeze Freon will never get old and dirty and need to be changed. Your Air Conditioner is hermetically sealed and should never lose Freon unless a leak develops. There is also nothing in the hermetically sealed system that adds any contaminant to the Freon that would cause it to get dirty and need changing like anti-freeze or oil in your cars engine.

So in a perfect world your original charge should last forever. But since it is not perfect, leaks do at times occur. Also the electric motor in your compressor could short out causing what we call a “burn out” which will contaminate the Freon requiring it to be changed along with the compressor.

Many people have been given the wrong impression by service companies on this unfortunately. Either out of not wanting to take the time or out of intentions to milk the customer for that annual charge up many A/C companies have let their customers be mislead into thinking charging a system is normal. I even saw a company suggesting that their customers with older systems should consider changing out that old Freon. If any technician ever makes such a suggestion to you show him/her the door fast. They are either crooks or incompetent and you don't want to deal with either.

Systems do many times develop leaks over time however. It is always best to deal with the leak by repairing it or replacing the component that is leaking or up grading the whole system if it is older then 10 years. Leaks can be a little tricky to pinpoint at times. Something simple like a service valve cap leak can be fixed sometimes by just tightening the cap or replacing the rubber seal in the cap. Small leaks in the coil can be much harder to find and sometimes impossible to repair or not worth the time and cost to repair. The copper tubing in the coil can over time get small pinhole leaks where is contacts the aluminum fin due to electrolysis. These leaks are small, hard to find and numerous normally when they accrue. Repairing in this case is not usually a good option. Replacing the coil will replace the leaks and also give you a nice clean coil for better airflow and you now have a parts warranty. And probably not cost much more or even less then trying to repair it.

A leaking system is only at it's peak efficiency when the technician removes his gauges after charging it properly. After that as it leaks, it leaks efficiency and capacity. It costs more and more to operate because it is cooling less and running more as it losses it's charge. Then you have the cost of another service call and Freon to contend with. If you have an older system using R-22 the costs are just going to get worse. R-22 is being phased out. Supply and demand has seen R-22 prices more then double recently. And that is just going to get worse as production is reduced to zero in 2020.

There are times it might make sense just to charge it up even knowing there is a leak and will need a charge again. If the leak is very small or in a place impossible to isolate and repair, like in the refrigerant lines in a slab, and your immediate budget is tight, then as a temporary measure charging may be called for. Finding a small leak can take a lot of time and be very expensive. But as a home owner you should know the facts so you can make a good choice. Being given the impression that it is normal to add Freon from time to time is just false.

Also when replacing equipment check for what type of materials are being used in the coils. Manufactures like Amana, Goodman and Trane are using all aluminum tubing on the indoor coils to help reduce leaks due to electrolysis. Carrier, Byrant and others are plating the cooper with tin. Other manufactures like Lennox, Rheem , Ruud, Tappan, American Standard and others are also taking measures to improve coil life. Ask your trusted Air Conditioning repair and replacement contractor for latest details and advice. For more information or to schedule a free equipment replacement estimate or service call in the Arlington TX, Ft. Worth TX, Mansfield TX or Tarrant County and surrounding area, check out our website www.cooltechmechanical.com.

Will a High Efficiency Air Conditioning System Pay For Itself ?

Home HVAC (Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning) systems in most climates will be a major user of energy. Here in North Texas it can account for 60% or more of your total electric bill. If your system is ten years old or older it is a prime candidate for an upgrade. Air Conditioning systems are rated by SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). This is sort of like a cars MPG rating. The higher the number the more energy efficient and less power it will consume for the amount of cooling compared to a lower SEER rated system. A system 10 years old or older were likely rated 10 SEER or less when new. As they age they can lose efficiency due to compression loss and heat transfer restrictions like a dirty or damaged coil. If you have an older unit in need of repairs you might be tempted to spend the few hundred or few thousand dollars it may take to get it up and running rather than the thousands it would take to replace with a high efficiency system. Repairs can many times be the best alternative with a tight budget or in a case where you don't plan to stay in the home long enough to get a ROI (return on investment) from the new system.

But in the long run it can cost more to repair an older unit then replacing. If you have an average 2000 square foot home with a 4 ton air conditioning unit it could cost somewhere around  $5000.00 to replace plus or minus a thousand or so depending on the grade of equipment and what all is involved with the installation. If this hypothetical system needed repairs in the typical $600-$1000.00 range it might seem like you save around $4000.00 by repairing instead of replacing.  But you have to factor in operating cost and future repair and maintenance to get a true cost comparison. If your system is starting to need repairs in that price range the chances are good that year after year it is going to need even more repairs as it ages. If you are adding refrigerant because of a leak and not repairing the leak you are guaranteed at least one, but probably several service calls a year to keep it cooling. Finding and repairing small pinhole leaks in the coil can cost a lot as well. Repairing coil leaks can be very difficult. When the coil starts to leak it is likely there are many small pinhole leaks in the tubing where the fin makes contact with the tubing. This is due to electrolysis caused by contact of two dissimilar metals and the presence of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that have condensed onto the coil that contribute to the formation of these pinholes. Repairing them is a tricky process and can result in less than desired results. Repairing one with a torch and silver solider can just open another one nearby. Even if you are successful the efficiency of the system can never be return even to its original low 10 SEER rating much less improve it. Charging a leaking system to “get by” also just contributes to the cost of operating that system. You have the service costs plus the increased operating cost as the system losses refrigerant and become less and less efficient.

So let’s look at that $5000.00 system verses maintaining your old system over a period of just five years. Up front we already know you will have an expense of about $1000.00 to get the system even operating at a low efficiency level. So now we are down to $4000.00. Now let’s say you average a very modest projected $350.00 in maintenance and service cost for years 2 to 5. Now that new system is costing you just $2600.00. Most systems will have a 10 year parts warranty so even if something did fail at least the parts would be covered. The labor for repairs on the new system will be at least 1 year and up to 10 years can be added for around $500.00 on most systems.

We haven't even talked about energy cost savings yet. According to operating cost comparison software using 0.11 cent a kilowatt hour and a modest increase in rates of 3% a year you would save $2,092.00 on air conditioning cost by upgrading to an Energy Star rated 14 SEER system from 10 SEER system. And this is assuming your a10 SEER system is still operating at 10 SEER. I can tell it won't be.

According to the same cost comparison software, government studies have also shown an increase in home value of around $7,800.00 by making this upgrade. When we expand the time frame out to the expected average life span of the system to 20 years your savings is over $10,000 in operating costs.

So waiting till that old system completely fails to replace it can cost you much more in energy cost and comfort then replacing it now. For more information or to schedule a free equipment replacement estimate or service call in the Arlington TX, Ft. Worth TX, Mansfield TX or Tarrant County and surrounding area, check out our website www.cooltechmechanical.com.