How to check whether you need to refuel the split system. How often does freon need to refuel an air conditioner

The split system consists of two blocks - external and internal, which are interconnected by copper tubes - Freon route.

The connection of the track with the blocks themselves is carried out with the help of nuts and rolling joints through which freon leaks. The density of these connections depends on the quality of installation.

Another source of freon leaks is cracks and fistulas that occur in the air conditioner itself. The reason for their occurrence in vibrations is due to the operation of the compressor and fan, while the internal tubes are frayed.

Also, a leak may appear at the place of soldering of the internal parts of the air conditioner, for example, a compressor.

Signs of a lack of refrigerant

• Deterioration of cooling or its complete absence
• Icing of outdoor unit valves
• Hoarfrost on a heat exchanger indoor unit
• Tube oil

Of course, deterioration in cooling can be caused by other reasons, but first of all, it is necessary to check the pressure of freon in the system.

Sometimes ice covers the entire heat exchanger of the indoor unit split system. In this case, frost can even fly out of the air conditioner into the room.

Oil is always present in the refrigeration circuit, which is necessary to cool the compressor lubricant.

And if the system is not tight, then in places of leaks oil appears, for example, on the nuts of the outdoor or indoor unit

  Frequency of refueling of air conditioners

Split systems

We are often asked a question, but how often is it necessary to refuel an air conditioner?

It is impossible to determine the exact time of refueling, as this depends on the quality of installation, as well as the quality of the air conditioner itself.

It is better to focus on signs indicating a lack of freon.

But in any case, it is better to check for freon in the system at least once every two years.

It is convenient to do this in conjunction with cleaning the air conditioner, that is, carry out after-sales service.

Mobile and window air conditioners

These types of air conditioners are assembled in a single housing and all connections are inside and made in the factory by soldering.

These air conditioners need refueling very rarely. But their peculiarity is that it will not work to refuel them - it is necessary to completely refuel the entire system.

You will need to refuel the air conditioner, the air conditioner, and after some types of repairs:

• compressor replacement
• four way valve replacement
• filling port replacement
• after damage to heat exchangers - condenser or evaporator
• after damage to freon tubes

  The cost of refueling air conditioners and refrigerators

The price of refueling household split systems

The cost of freon (refrigerant)

Vacuum refrigeration circuit

Additional work

Refueling price of industrial equipment

  Types of Freon for refueling

The company "MasterKholoda" works with equipment charged with the following refrigerants:

R22

The most popular type of freon, in Russia, at present, more than half of this type of freon works refrigeration equipment.

Its use is currently limited to the Montreal Protocol, ostensibly because of its ability to destroy ozone layer.

R410a

Freon, which replaced R22, has several disadvantages, such as,

multicomponent composition and high cost.

All household air conditionerscurrently produced are mainly charged with this refrigerant.

Filling these refrigerants is more expensive than the previous one.

R134a

Refrigerant used in car air conditioners.

Disadvantages - multicomponent composition, high cost

R407c

This type of freon is used in industrial refrigeration systems, rarely in mobile air conditioners.

The main drawback is that it does not refuel; in case of a leak, it is necessary to evacuate all the remaining freon to completely fill the system.

The oil used with this freon is very hygroscopic.

That is, it absorbs moisture very strongly, even from air.

R600a

The chemical name is isobutane, this gas is natural, it does not need to be synthesized.

It has good refrigeration performance.

Use in household refrigerators and mobile conditioners.

The disadvantage is combustible when connected to air.

Your application will be registered and will be called back shortly to agree on the details of the order and the arrival time of the service team.

Calculation of the cost of refueling in Moscow

Since split systems are supplied to Russia that operate mainly on two types of refrigerant R22 and R410A, we will indicate the cost of refueling only for these brands. Departure and refueling of each single (not multi-split) air conditioner (wall, ceiling-cassette, channel, floor-and-ceiling systems) from 1000 rubles.

Refrigerant Cost:

Prices are valid for work in Moscow and some satellite areas outside the MKAD (check with the dispatcher). If you need to travel to the Moscow region, an additional surcharge will be charged., depending on the remoteness of the place from the Moscow Ring Road and the conditions of the transport infrastructure in this area.

You may not have to pay for refueling the air conditioner

The cost of a full standard preventive work package for a single wall split system is from 2700 rubles.
  This package includes:

• Cleaning the air conditioner using;
• Disinfection of the indoor unit;
• Diagnostics of the air conditioner;
• Refueling if necessary (consumption x / a is included in the package price).

How to determine if the air conditioner needs refueling?

Freon leakage myth

Now it’s hard to say who initially launched into the minds of consumers the myth that within a year of operation from an air conditioner it is permissible refrigerant leak  (freon) up to 5%. Frankly, if your system releases such a quantity of Freon per year, even without paying attention, it can only mean one thing - there is a leak in the track (that is, the hole through which it leaves), maybe at first this hole is small, but the operation process will certainly increase. It’s just that, for no reason, Freon will not leak out (remember the old Soviet refrigerators that have been working without repair for ten years or more - also air conditioning). To detect the causes of refrigerant leakage from the system, it is necessary to carry out.

Actual causes of refrigerant leakage from the system

Accordingly, the amount of refrigerant leaving the system per unit time will also increase. Let's look at the three main causes of such situations.

• First reason, unfortunately, the most common - marriage allowed when laying a route (a system of copper tubes with adapters and fittings) between the outer and inner blocks of the split system. If you were unable to identify this in the first year of operation of the air conditioner (while the installers guarantee is valid), in the future you will have to deal with fixing the problem for money.
• The second reason, which is rarer, but it should not be discounted - the natural wear of the connecting rolling at the joints of pipes or fittings (sometimes it releases a service valve if it does not have a safety plug). This problem often arises due to poor-quality components installed by some manufacturers on manufactured air conditioners. This case is easily distinguishable from the marriage of installers - such problems usually appear no earlier than after 3-5 years of operation of the split system.
• Third reason  - damage to the route resulting from force majeure dynamic impact. There are a lot of examples: a large icicle fell, a brick from the roof, hooligans threw a stone at your air conditioner. This case is also detected quickly, because from dynamic influences there are traces in the places where the subject hit.

Refueling the air conditioner as it should be

Signs of a lack of freon in the split system

Some signs of freon leakage from the system are always visible, even to the consumer, but not all. Only a specialist can determine whether there is a refrigerant leak and how much it needs to be refilled into the system based on the pressure gauges during the diagnosis of the air conditioner. Remember - the correct results of diagnosing the system are possible only after. A dirty air conditioner does not produce the correct operating parameters measured by the devices. Here are the main signs of a lack of freon in the air conditioner.

• The air conditioner inefficiently cools or heats the passing air stream.
• During the operation of the air conditioner, frostbite (frost) appears on thin tubes in the outdoor and indoor units.
• Pressure reduction throughout the split system.

What is advisable to do in addition to refueling if a refrigerant leak is detected

As mentioned above, Freon does not evaporate anywhere through the walls of the tubes from the system, unless there is a specific place through which the leak occurs. If the leak is small (taking into account the amount of freon released per amount of operating time), the master can simply refuel the refrigerant into the split system. If the leak of Freon is significant, moreover, it will continue actively after refueling, in this case it is necessary to identify the place where the refrigerant leaves the system and eliminate the cause of the leak. It should be borne in mind that such work goes beyond the cost of refueling, because it can turn out to be very costly, including for the customer - for example, if the route is drawn in hidden channels inside the walls.

Separately, we note that the master is only able to accurately determine the level of working pressure in the system if the air conditioner is cleaned (both the outdoor and indoor units). If the main components of the split system are dirty, the specialist will not be able to accurately determine how much refrigerant to add. And air conditioning is such a system, to which the very exception applies, when porridge with oil can very easily be spoiled. If you fill freon in more than necessary quantity of freon, this will also lead to improper operation of the air conditioner. Regular will allow the master to conduct an annual analysis of her work, which will save you from the extra time spent on finding the causes of the malfunction in the future.

Contacts

To contact the dispatcher or consultants regarding the maintenance of your air conditioner, you can call, send a message by e-mail or through the contact form of our website.

Filling air conditioners with freon is an integral procedure that is performed in the process of servicing climatic equipment. They resort to it in cases when the air conditioner starts to work inefficiently (efficiency indicators drop sharply, the equipment cools the air for a long time, often turns off, is not able to maintain the necessary temperature parameters for a long time). Filling of air conditioners with freon must be done not only according to the instructions attached to the equipment, but also as necessary. In order not to miss the moment, it is necessary to regularly take measurements of the refrigerant in the system, the only way to maintain the air conditioner in normal working condition.

Timely filling of air conditioners with freon is a guarantee of their long and efficient operation

Why is freon in the air conditioner, why is it constantly necessary to refuel it in the system? Who came up with such a service as refueling air conditioners? Freon is an integral and irreplaceable working tool in the air conditioner. It is this refrigerant that is responsible for cooling or heating the air. If the amount of freon in the air conditioner is not enough, the compressor starts to work for wear, as a result of which it quickly loses its service life and fails. Freon has the ability to evaporate, this happens either for natural reasons, or due to the fact that during the installation of the air conditioner significant errors were made. When the amount of refrigerant becomes insufficient, the air conditioner immediately starts to work intermittently. And these interruptions can be noticed even by the simplest user of equipment not familiar with its system and principle of operation. If, provided that the conditioner is completely filled with freon, it quickly heats or cools the room, for a long time it maintains the set temperature condition, then in the event that there is not enough refrigerant in the system, not only low efficiency indicators are observed, but also high energy consumption, frequent problems with starting an air conditioner that does not want to turn on.

What signs indicate that the time has come to refill or refill the air conditioner with freon?

It is impossible to say exactly with what frequency partial refueling or full refueling of the air conditioner should be performed. It is necessary to constantly regulate and check the refrigerant pressure in the system, at every planned and unplanned maintenance  air conditioners. If the climate technology is installed correctly, during its operation all the necessary requirements given by the manufacturer are complied with, then it does not need to be completely refilled with freon even 10 years after use. It will be enough to carry out partial refueling of the air conditioner once every 4 to 5 years for its stable and efficient operation.

If the air conditioner is installed poorly, then it may need to be fully refilled with freon after the first start. It often happens that freon immediately evaporates into the atmosphere. If such a problem occurs, the air conditioner will immediately stop cooling or heating the air, will not start. Partial refrigerant refueling of HVAC equipment may also be required if the pipeline is leaky.

Signs indicating the need for full or partial refueling of air conditioners:

• low efficiency
• difficult launch of climate technology;
• hoarfrost on the freon pipeline;
• icing of the internal block and freon pipeline;
• inefficient cooling or heating of air;
• extraneous noise, crackling in the indoor unit;
• the appearance of a peculiar smell;
• high temperature of the air leaving the outdoor unit.

If at least one of the listed symptoms is detected, there is an urgent need to refuel the air conditioner.

Types of freon for refueling air conditioners

What type of freon is used to refuel air conditioners?

• R22 (classic freon, which is ideal for filling air conditioners of all models and manufacturers, the cost of R22 refrigerant is low, it is absolutely safe for human health and the environment, refueling and filling air conditioners with R22 freon will cost the least),
• R-410A (this refrigerant is half composed of R125 freon, it does not have a destructive effect on the ozone layer, allows you to use more pressure and significantly improves the performance of climate technology, filling the air conditioner with this type of freon will cost more, but the user of the equipment can significantly save on electricity)
• R-407C (this type of freon consists of three refrigerants, it is used for filling industrial-type air conditioners, this type of freon is not isotropic, therefore, when a leak occurs, its light components first evaporate, this makes it impossible to partially charge this type of refrigerant at a price it is available, but because of its peculiarity it is rarely used for refueling air conditioners).

The price for refueling air conditioners ranges from 2 to 10 thousand rubles. To find out exactly how much it will cost to charge a particular model of climatic equipment with refrigerant, contact the consultants of the companies that provide this service.