HVAC....well just AC

[TurboGizzmo]

Year or two ago i paid to have my AC recharged because it wasnt as cool and kept freezing the line, but after that I used it two or three times when i had some guests over.

Well now that I have a roommate and her son and her 14 brothers and sisters visiting off and on we have far more guests and AC comes in more handy than when it was just me and i work all the time.

I turn it on, furnace comes on, outside AC unit comes on, sounds like the AC compressor is working too (makes that gurgle sound) but it doesnt even blow remotely cold. Now before I pay trip charge for someone to just "recharge" or "top it off" what should i do to test myself? Any guesses for cost to actually find and fix a leak? Will running it with no freon damage it durning testing?

[Foolds]

Freon also is an oil base to it.. IF it leaked it should be pretty obvious,

Fast way to test if the Ac compressor is doing its job.. Turn it on for a min or so.. Then feel the copper lines coming out.. One should be Warm/Hot and one should be cold or at least cool after 1 min. I wouldn't run the AC unit alot with while it might be low on Freon due to the oil base part.

Check that part and then post up again

[mastap07]

i would check for a few of the simple things too.
clogged air filter
clogged condenser (what your compressor is in)
cover off of unit ouside
also depending how long you ran your ac and "starved it" its possible your compressor needs to be replaced

[wulf]

Freon also is an oil base to it.. IF it leaked it should be pretty obvious,

Fast way to test if the Ac compressor is doing its job.. Turn it on for a min or so.. Then feel the copper lines coming out.. One should be Warm/Hot and one should be cold or at least cool after 1 min. I wouldn't run the AC unit alot with while it might be low on Freon due to the oil base part.

Check that part and then post up again

freon is not oil based. The compressor has oil in it which sometimes leaks out. The bigger line should be cool and the little line should heat up.

i would check for a few of the simple things too.
clogged air filter
clogged condenser (what your compressor is in)
cover off of unit ouside
also depending how long you ran your ac and "starved it" its possible your compressor needs to be replaced

check your air filter, hose out the condesor (you should do this yearly) outside cover shouldn't matter. if you hear the gurgling sound of gas going through the lines the compressor is running

You also should check your a coil. Follow the lines to the furnace and that part is a radiator looking thing that air is supposed to flow through and cool. If you use cheap filters or no filters it will clog and cause no flow of air which will cause ice.

A few minutes of testing won't hurt your system.

Typical recharge rates are $99

Leak checks start at $100 and go easily to $400, then you have to pay the recharge fees.

Bottom line if your big copper line doesn't cool down to about 60 within a minute yet you still hear the gas flowing in the lines you're probly needing a recharge. If it does cool down you have a air flow issue