air conditioner condenser coils leaking?

Get lots of opinions and bids.

Yes a coil can be replaced and yes they can even be repaired.

The parts cost are one thing. The labor is another.

Replacing the coils, repairing the coils, and a total unit replacement all have some labor in common. A refrigeration tech will have to recover and evacuate the system. Consume a small bottle of nitrogen for soldering/brazing and leak checks. Pull a deep vacuum on it, then , finally, the refrigerant will have to be reserviced.

These actions consume the majority of the hourly labor involved.

So...

Is the unit under warranty? Are the parts covered (common)? Is the labor covered (not common)?

Is the unit older, say more than ten years? The unit might just develop more leaks in other spots if the coil is repaired.

Is it an outdated or inefficient unit? Good time to upgrade.

Is the coil easy to replace? Just because it can be replaced, doesn't mean it is a good idea. Sometimes you have to be destructive to get to things, or it might take so many hours to perform.

I'd talk to several contractors and have them explain the reasons why they are recommending what they are. Don't be shy either.

Let the other contractors know what their competition is recommending and why. Incompetent or crooked HVAC contractors show their true colors in this type of environment, however, exceptional ones stand out.

It's a money issue. How much do you want to invest right now balanced against future costs... both potential and inevitable.

Air Conditioner Coil Leak

You don't mention how old the unit is and that is a factor in here too.

Over the past 20 years, the tubing the coils are made from is much thinner than they used to be. We used to repair dozens of coil leaks and now, not so many. In my opinion, there is more than a 50% chance that you will not be able to repair the leak without making the problem worse. On any unit older than 12 years old, it doesn't make much sense anyway.

It is rare for AC distributors to have coils in stock. They order them in and they get banged up in shipping. Then once you get them in place you have to decontaminate the system. You pay a small fortune and then still have most of the unit that is very old. Most condenser coils that leak are due to design flaw. If one leaks, the next one will probably develop that same leak.

It just doesn't make good economic sense to repair or replace a condenser coil unless the unit is nearly new.

fs

Ac Condenser Coil

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air conditioner condenser coils leaking?

The outside unit for our house stopped working. The technician that came out said that the coils were leaking, and the entire outside unit would have to be replaced (over $2000). I asked if it wasn't possible to somehow replace just the coils, as the technician mentioned that everything else...

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Submersion is a good technique (at design pressure- ≈ 150psi evap, 300psi condenser, dry nitrogen). You don't mention if the piping is flared or brazed, but flared fittings occasionally expand when iced over, and brazed unions can leak at high condensing pressures and stop at equilibrium. Water cooled condensers will occasionally leak into the water drain line. King valves and TXV's will leak if the packing nut is loose. Schreader valves will leak if left un-capped. Some evaporators develop pin hole leaks (after extended service) which will not produce visible bubbles, but will produce color when dye is mixed with refrigerant (especially when lightly frosted). EPA requires rate of loss accounting. Have you weighed the refrigerant and calculated the rate? Is the system at equilibrium when you measure pressure? Are you correcting pressure readings for temperature? Provide the capacity, configuration, and refrigerant type if this doesn't help.

It is possible to replace the condenser coil but it would be very expensive. It is very rare for the condenser coil to be leaking.

If the unit is not to old, I am sure the coils could be replaced. However the labor to tear down the unit to get to them and the welding and soldering that would have to be done would be expensive. And after all that, next week the compressor could go out.

It would be simpler to replace the whole unit but I would get some other estimates.

If you can pin point the leak, it might be possible to repair that. But the first thing I would do is get a couple more techs to look at it and offer their opinions...even if you have to pay them...it only takes one guy who's seen the problem before and knows how to approach it differently...good luck.

If the unit is more then 5 years old I would replace the whole unit.