Do i need coolant for my central air unit if my compressor is replaced? ?

Question

I have a central/heat air unit on my home. The air conditioning company that came out said we need a new compressor. That is covered under our warranty. They said we would also have to get coolant put in when i replaced the compressor. And that we would have to pay $750 for that. Does that seem right? Do you have to put coolant in when you put in a new compressor?

? · Answer

Depending on the circuit, you may be able to close of valves and trap some of the charge. You'll still need to top it up afterwards because you'll need to remove the refrigerant from the part of the circuit where the compressor is. Then pull a vacuum to remove the air and moisture and then perform a total regass or top up.
I couldn't comment on price as i've been out of the game for about ten years but i know it has shot up in price! To leak test and regas my car now costs me £50, and that's mate's rate.

thebax2006 · Answer

Refrigerant for your central air shouldn't cost more then $100. Anytime you disconnect the refrigerant lines you need to recharge the system. Ask them to put any reclaimed refrigerant back in before topping it up.

John Alden · Answer

Yes you do. If the compressor failed under warranty THEY should cover all the costs to replace it.

Anonymous · Answer

Read the warranty if the refrigerant is included in the replacement of the compressor.  If it is not, then you have to pay for it.  The price seems a little too high though.

And the old refrigerant is not put back in the new compressor like some amateurs here are telling you.  It is recovered and disposed of by the technician and sent to a facility to be reprocessed as "new" refrigerant.

Scott · Answer

You need refrigerant, not coolant. If they can recover the refrigerant in the system they can reuse it. Otherwise, you're going to have to pay for it.

jimanddottaylor · Answer

I would think that your warranty would cover the whole job.

arther · Answer

why cant they reclaim the gas has it all leaked out why the compressor failed? The installers warrenty will cover that if you push the issue. When we put ac stuff in and the gas leaks from one of our bad joins we fix join regas free of charge with out knowing more about your system and what happen its hard to say whos fault it is. If its only a year or 2 old and the comp has failed I wouldn't want to be paying anything. Who supplied the  unit in the first place?

Anonymous · Answer

They can take out the old gas and store it in a cylinder while changing the compressor.
If there were no leaks you do not need R410 and R22 gas

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Do i need coolant for my central air unit if my compressor is replaced? ?

8 Answers