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Freon REcharge

R

rangerscott275

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
241
Hatteras Model
53' MOTOR YACHT (1969 - 1988)
Is it possible to charge the freon in AC units yourself? I have 2 out of 4 units that have slow leaks and need to be recharged with freon each year. Is this a DIY type of thing that I could get the freon for and do myself or is it regulated / dangerous? Thanks!
 
Hard to get R22 unless you know someone but easy to do.
 
For what it's worth ... I also had a slow, pinhole leak in my aft stateroom Cruisair unit. We never could find the leak so I had my AC technician use HVACR Stop Leak and the unit has been working without leaks since. These AC service people don't like using the HVACR Stop Leak but would rather sell a new unit ... but after insistence they used it in mine.

I've used this Stop Leak in a freezer, a refrigerator and a home heat pump over the years with no adverse effect on the units and they are still leak free. If you decide to try it make sure to get the proper size for the tonnage of your units.

By the way ... I DO NOT WORK FOR HVACR nor do I have any financial connection ... just a good product that works.

So far as adding the freon yourself ... you must be a licensed AC technician to buy it from what I understand ... at least it's that way here in South Carolina.
 
As a HVAC technician, you can do it yourself. Not sure, but maybe there are some classes at a local technical school that could teach you what you need to know. It's very important to charge units properly. Over charging is as bad as under charging. Dirty coils and heat exchangers can give false readings when checking a charge.

Again, it's not rocket science but prior knowledge is a must. Keep in mid that you are dealing with high pressures that could be dangerous if not properly handled.


With all the work that many of us do on our boats, I feel that this is above the normal level of expertise, but not out of the realm of the do it your selfer.
 
eze2bme said:
For what it's worth ... I also had a slow, pinhole leak in my aft stateroom Cruisair unit. We never could find the leak so I had my AC technician use HVACR Stop Leak and the unit has been working without leaks since. These AC service people don't like using the HVACR Stop Leak but would rather sell a new unit ... but after insistence they used it in mine.
Click to expand...


I had a slow leak in my cruiseair unit for the master and guest stateroom. My AC guy recharged it every 14 months. They twice searched for and could not find a leak. I told them about HVACR Stop Leak (read about it on this forum). They contacted cruiseair to make ask if it would hurt the compressor and they were told, "we don't recommend it, but if the customer requests it, go ahead."

They recharged my system and added the stop leak and it is still going strong. It was 8 months ago, and this about the time it would start taking longer and longer to start blowing heat... not now, heats fast and strong and the stop leak appears to have worked!

I'd try it before replacing a compressor or redoing the lines....

Good Luck
 
Yes it is absolutely possible to do this yourself. You need a set of guages and a can of r22, which you can find fairly easily - even if you are not a HVAC Pro. Check the craigs list or other aftermarket locations. Information on how to do it is readily available on the net or at the library (remember that place). The pressure curves for your unit are in the cruisaire manual and might be on line on their web site. As said before, it's not a rocket.
 
I always added R22 myself back in the 80's when you could buy it at any hardware or auto parts store. There is nothing to it if you have the guages. I bought my guages from JC Whitney back then and they still work fine. They have the pressure curves for R12 and R22 marked on them. I also still have a few cans of R22 and R12 on the shelf in the basement. I stocked up when they feds decided to regulate the stuff. Funny thing was that I bought it on clearance since the store had to get rid of it before the new law went into effect.
 
there are two good sources for r12 and r22 that i know of. the first is ebay. just search for freon. the other is the swapmeets at the goodguy car shows here in the sf bay area. i don't know if they have shows/swapmeets in your area but you can check here.

http://www.good-guys.com/events/eventsList.aspx?year=2007
 
I have done a google search but am not finding where to buy the stop leak....does anyone know where to purchase HVACR Stop Leak that has been recommended Thanks again!
 
Thanks thoward! How about that Sure SEal HVACR stop leak....is that link the right stuff that people have used with success in the past?
 
Aweome! I'll become a pro at this via trial by fire! :)
 
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