From: "Travis Jordan" 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: AC Advice Needed! Update
x-mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409
Date: Thu, 27 May 2004 16:50:28 GMT

unix-freak wrote:
> "Travis Jordan"  wrote in message
> news:j5ktc.9632$w34.214349@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
>> unix-freak wrote:
>>> OK.... I checked the run capacitor and it measured 35uF; well within
>>> 10% tolerance. My AC guy called me back and came by and found that
>>> the system was 2 lbs low on freon. After charging it, it's run fine
>>> since 5:30 and the compressor has NOT cut off. It was 84 in the
>>> house and 5 hours later is down to 78. When he was here he measured
>>> the return air at 81 and the supply at 68 at the registers.
>>> Tomorrow when I go to work I'll just cut it down to 76 and see if
>>> the house is cool when I get home.
>>
>> The 13 degree drop across the air handler is low - as I said earlier
>> it should be 17 - 22.  What did he say about the root cause of that
>> part of the problem?
>>
> He said 13 degrees was good.
>
>> How did he know you were two pounds low?  What method did he use to
>> charge the system?
>>
> R-22 / guages.
>
>> If you are / were low on refrigerant (Freon is a trademark for one
>> manufacturer's blend of R-22) then you need to find out where it is
>> leaking.  Did the tech do a leak test?
>>
> Not sure.
>
>> My guess is that your system will run for a while and then you'll be
>> back in the same inadequate cooling situation.  So then what?
>>
> I don't know. It's conceivable that the first guy leaked a bunch of
> R-22 out when he was disconnecting his guages.

Not 2 lbs worth!  That is a LOT of R-22 in vapor form.

A competent tech would never add R-22 without also looking for a leak.
In a closed system refrigerant doesn't get "used up".  I'd call the
contractor back and ask them whether they did a leak test, and if not,
why not.