A question about my central Air unit/ and freon?

Question

Ive been having a problem with my C/A unit.. Ive changed the filter, cleaned the coils and everything to the point that the only thing that it might be needing is freon to put in... So we called a heating and air speicalists and he said he would charge us no higher then $140.00 to put freon in it, thats labor and all.. He says it depends on how low it is, it could cost us lower then that.. ..he said "freon is $30.00 a pound"..
My qeustion is, is that a good deal? We are new to this and I just want to be careful about who I get to do this....
Also, When the C/A Tech goes to check out everything to make sure that the central air is working correctly.. What all rooms do they check? Do they stay mostly in the basement and around the outside unit? The reason why I'm asking because I have small children and our house is a large 2 story so i dont want the C/A Tech to come into a room and fall over a toy or anything...lol

Answer 1

Hello Karma:

If this price includes the service call, it is a bargain. If it is just for the refrigerant and installation, it is still a good price, but be sure to ask what the trip cost is. $30/pound for R-22 is a fair market price. This includes the training, tools, and regulations the HVAC tech has to have in order to install the stuff.

The tech will need to have access to your indoor unit, the thermostat, the return grille (grill that collects the air returning to your indoor unit) and a supply grill (air coming out of the indoor unit). If you can have the children stay out of the way, it will be appreciated. The little ones are curious, but he will be moving quickly, and be focused on getting the job done quickly and correctly the first time. If you can have the kids visit a sitter that would be best, otherwise ask them to stay out of the way.

Keep Kool

Answer 2

I work for a major refrigeration company. I get a good deal, but R22 refrigerant is not $30 a pound. I just bought a 30 pound can this morning. I pay $2.77 a pound from United Refrigeration. Granted I work for a MAJOR mechanical Company, but nobody is paying $30 a pound. Even if he is paying $5 a pound, that is a 600% mark up.

Usually you should not need more than a pound. If it was a pound low, it probably wasn't working very good at all right??

Technicians should stay in the basement and outside mostly. They may want to check the thermostat or the room ambient temperature and relative humidity, but they are usually not going to be in any bed rooms.

Answer 3

have them check for leaks in the piping too. it may not be the a/c unit itself, but the pipes that lead into your house from the a/c. they should have handheld leak detectors.

if it's the a/c unit, it may also be better just to buy a new a/c. most cities offer a rebate when you buy a new a/c. $100 bux or more, in most areas.