Why does home aircon gas requires refilling?

Question

Theoretically if the air conditioner is not leaking gas, does it still requires refilling? If so how often should it be refilled if used every night? I asked because every 1-2 year my air conditioner would start to leak water and become not cold anymore. Every time the A/C technician comes, he always wants to refill the refrigerant gas and charge extra for it. So my question is, what is the typical lifespan of the gas and if it requires constant refilling, how often a normal situation would be? I believe that my problem is caused by blockage causing water leakage and preventing the air from becoming cold. And if it’s really a leakage, then he should have offered to get the leak repaired and not simply recharging it every time he comes. So why does he always wants to refill something that isn’t the problem? Is he being playing some unethical trick at his clients? By the way, I’m living in a tropical high humidity climate, so if that means anything…

Answer 1

Technically, your a/c system is "closed", meaning you shouldn't have to add freon. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way. Between your condensor (the outside part) and the evaporator coil (inside at the furnace) there are a million places for leaks to sprout. And the amount of time you use the AC has no effect on it.
Your unit begins to leak water *because* it is low on freon. When the unit is low on freon, the low pressure side of the system drops to below freezing and begins to freeze the moisture in the air coming across the coil. (The melting ice is where your water leak comes from) This is also hard on the unit because it can't move air properly... It also can't cool under these circumstances.
I know it seems that your tech is being unethical because he hasn't offered to find the leak. That may not be the case... The way we explain things to our customers is this: We charge $12/lb for R-22 freon. I don't know how many pounds you're being charged for, but 1-5 lbs is normal. (There is no way to tell "how low" your unit is based on its lack of cooling.) We charge $60/hour to look for a leak. It's not uncommon for a small leak to take 2-3 hours to find. Sometimes we can't find it at all. Some leaks may not occur until the outside temp is high enough to really drive up the head pressure... for example your unit may not be leaking when it is 85 degress outside, but at 100 degrees the head pressure rises and some freon escapes.
So we give our customers the option of adding some freon every year or so, or we can look for a leak. We let them decide which is more cost effective for them. Most of the time, it's just easier and cheaper to keep adding freon. But, as a general rule, if you have to add freon more than once per a/c season it is time to look for a leak.
Also remember that running your a/c while it is low on freon is like running a car while its a quart low on oil. It will still run but you're damaging the compressor in the process.
I hope this info is helpful.

Answer 2

There "has" to be a "very" small leak somewhere. Freon just doesn't disappear. He may not even be looking for a leak. Make sure you are with him when he works on the unit. If he says it is low on freon, make sure he checks over the entire unit for leaks.
They have a handheld sensor that detects the gas. They also can use soapy water from a spray bottle.

Answer 3

number one they no longer use freon in ac units! number 2 yes the system is sealed(closed) and nothing should leak. Obviously saying this, something is wrong...and you indeed have a leak somewhere..which there are testers to verify this is the guy took the time to do that. But he probably makes more money coming back refilling your ac this way

Answer 4

in a perfect world freon is permanent if you have to add .then there is a leak .but ,make sure he is realy adding freon .when he brings the tank in to charge the unit .put it on a scale so you can see how much he is realy putting in the unit.if it is a window unit we are talking ounces not pounds