AC Refrigerant Leak Repair and Recharge in Oakland County

How we find a refrigerant leak

Finding a leak takes patience more than anything. We start by measuring pressures and temperatures to confirm the system really is low, because a dirty coil, a clogged filter or a weak blower can produce some of the same symptoms. Those are the things a yearly AC tune-up catches. Once we know the charge is low, we go looking for where it went.

Big leaks often give themselves away with an oil stain or a hiss. Small ones take tools: an electronic detector that senses refrigerant in the air, soap solution that bubbles at the leak, or a pressure test with dry nitrogen that shows whether the system holds. Some leaks are slow enough that tracer dye and a second visit is the only way to pin them down. These are the places we check first, because most leaks turn up in one of them.

• The indoor evaporator coil
• Service valves and their cores
• Brazed joints and flare fittings
• Lines rubbing against metal or framing
• The outdoor coil, after corrosion or damage

Repair the leak, replace the coil or replace the system?

It depends on where the leak is and how old the equipment is. A leaking valve core or a bad joint on a system with years of life left is a straightforward repair. A leaking evaporator coil is a bigger decision, because the coil is a major part. On a newer system, replacing the coil makes sense. On an older one, you would be putting an expensive part into equipment that is near the end of its run.

A common guide is that when a repair costs more than half the price of a new system, replacement deserves a serious look. ENERGY STAR suggests considering replacement once an air conditioner is more than 10 years old. We give you the cost of each route and our honest opinion, and the decision stays with you. If replacing wins, here is how we handle AC installation.

Older air conditioners and R-22

An older air conditioner may run on R-22, the refrigerant many people still call Freon. The nameplate on the outdoor unit says which one yours uses. No new R-22 has been made or imported in the United States since 2020, so the only supply is what has been recovered, reclaimed or stockpiled, and it grows scarcer every year. You are not required to replace an R-22 system, and it can still be repaired. A large leak on one is usually the point where repair stops making sense.

Later systems mostly use R-410A, and the newest equipment uses a newer generation of refrigerant again. All of them can still be serviced. What they cannot be is mixed. Each system is built for one refrigerant, so an old unit cannot simply be topped off with whatever is current. We check the nameplate, tell you what your system uses and explain what that means for the repair.

What AC refrigerant leak repair costs in Oakland County

Three things decide it: where the leak is, how much refrigerant the system has lost, and which refrigerant it uses. A valve core is a small job and a coil is a large one. Refrigerant is charged by weight, and a scarce refrigerant such as R-22 tends to cost more to replace. We find the leak first, then give you the price for the repair and the recharge before we start. Call 248-930-2080 and tell us what the system is doing.