14-Year-Old Heat Pump Leaking Refrigerant and Not Cooling in Johnson City, TN

Received a call from a new customer located in Johnson City, TN and they were in need of a heat pump repair. Their heat pump was not keeping up with their set point on their thermostat in the cooling mode. They stated that they had the thermostat set for 72 degrees and it was getting up to 79 degrees in their home and the heat pump seemed like it was always running.

When we arrived we took a quick look at their system and what they had. We always like to document the equipment with pictures. We fired the system up in cooling mode and everything started up. We hooked up probes to the refrigerant circuit and monitored the heat pump's performance on our iPad and took some amp draws. The system was low on refrigerant and that is why the heat pump was not keeping up in the cooling mode. It did not have enough refrigerant in the system to remove the heat from inside the home and move it outside. We gave the customer our refrigerant leaks sheet and explained several options to them on how to proceed. They decided to leak search the system to try and find out where the split system heat pump was leaking at.

We disconnected our tools and started the leak search process using a heated diode leak detector, an ultrasonic listening device, and a micro leak detector bubble solution. We had enough pressure in the system still to try our leak search without having to recover the remaining refrigerant and pressurize the system with dry nitrogen. We started with the indoor unit and were not able to find anything at the indoor coil. We popped the top on the outdoor heat pump and began leak searching outside. We immediately rang off at the top U-bends on the outdoor coil with the heated diode leak detector. We grabbed the ultrasonic listening device and could hear a hissing sound as well. We sprayed the area with micro leak detector bubble solution and found the leak site on the outdoor coil.

Sometimes refrigerant leaks can be hard to find due to their locations and sometimes a more in depth leak search can be required. It is always a good idea to find and repair the leak versus just recharging the system. If this system would have been recharged it would have leaked back out rapidly and the customer would have wasted their money. We know that finding a leak and repairing it can be expensive, so it is always important to find the leak spot, get some pricing options together, and figure out what is best for you as the customer and your budget. If you are located in Northeast Tennessee and are in need of a heat pump repair, please feel free to reach out to Magnolia Services based out of Johnson City, TN. We would be happy to help you out with your HVAC needs. Stay safe and best wishes.

Location: Johnson City, TN