Aboutjohn t. borgman Expertise I work days, so I can only answer early in the day or later in the evening, I live in Oregon. I have been so good at all the other area's of hvac, I am probably the only hvac guy that does not know oil. ( lol ) I am very well versed in gas, electric and heat pumps and will only answer residential applications. I have been known the past decade or so, by my employers as the guy you send when no one can figure it out. Trouble shooting is my special. I understand the physics behind air flow, refrigerants and electricity. I understand programmable t-stats, zone controls, economizers, fossil fuel kits and the engineering thought process in the wiring and construction of residential equipment
Experience I was lucky enough to start in this field over 25 years ago as an installer, for a company that installed the best duct systems I have ever seen, even to this day. The best ,as far as understanding the way air really flows through a duct system, from the return air to the very last supply register . They also had great pride and the duct work was put in, not only to last 50 years, but to look exceptional. Then as I started doing service work, I was again fortunate that I found a 3 year engineering class being put on be a man that was the educational director for the Entire united states for a society called " the Refrigeration Service Engineering Society " And for the next 3 years I schooled at night and practiced what I learned during the day, a great advantage over schooling and then trying to remember it years later.. Versed in duct design manual J heat gain/loss calculations. Also experience in wine rooms and indoor swimming pool hvac & humidity controls
Publications I have 2 inventions that have gone through the process and been recorded at the National Institute of Standards and Technology from start to finish and thus been invited to national innovation workshops by the dept. of Commerce and the dept. of Energy. They are waste heat recovery devices that N.I.S.T approved as valid and am currently looking for marketing partners to get this product into the hands of consumers and make a BIG difference in Energy savings for every Household and Eatery and take a big bite in the the peak hours power consumption that face our Utilities companies.
Education/Credentials factory training in Lennox ,Rheem, Ruud ,Trane, Tempstar ,Carrier, Day&Night, Payne, Bryant, Coleman, Intertherm, Ultra boilers, Unico, Mitsubishi,Sanyo, Taylor, Nicewonger, . Associates degree in Refrigeration Engineering. Certified with Energy Department, Check-me Program, have N.A.T.E. certifications in gas, a/c & heat pump. Teach and apprentice at every company I work at.
Question We have separate Command a/c for 1300 sq. ft. condo unit in
South Florida, built 1991. Responding to diminished cooling, a/c guy added refrigerant. He came back 2 days later, and said: coil leaked, not practical to repair.
Q. How are such leaks repaired? Is it simple for a/c guy
to repair? How long does it take experinced a/c guy to repair? My after-market warranty service covers repair of
functional parts.
Answer Mel,
Did He show you the leak? A coil leak be it indoor or out, can easily be repaired. I have done three this summer for around $400 a piece. If access is hard and no easy place to work from ( attic with no flooring, ect ) price can go up. If the service valves do not hold back the refrigerant, when it is pumped to the other coil and the refrigerant must be recovered and replaced , that costs more.
My customers are told 500 to 700, that is worse case and generally get it for less and that makes them happy. And time also depends on those variables and more, like attic work when it is 90 degrees outdoors is 150 to 180, work moves slow. If it is the indoor coil, you might consider a new coil as it is almost 20 years old, if you plan on living there another 20 years. Coil cost will be around 500.
The most important for you as the owner is done right.....
The best way to go, is either with a repair or replacement that the empty coil and tubing be charged with 450 psi nitrogen when done for a final leak search which will verify it is fixed. At that pressure you can hear any leaks and if none the pressure will not drop at all when left standing for 10 minutes. Then a good evacuation with a vacuum pump with fresh oil. Any molecules of atmosphere left in will change the refrigerant's boiling point and lower efficiency along with shortening the life of the compressor. Then the correct amount of refrigerant added to insure the unit is at maximum will also lower your power bill and lengthen the life of your equipment.
