Zero refrigerant in a microchannel coil, and why we replaced instead of recharging
What we found
The air conditioner had stopped cooling. The gauges read zero on both the suction and the liquid side, and a system at zero is not a system that needs topping up, it is a system with a hole in it.
The leak was in the microchannel condenser coil. We see leaks in these regularly and they are difficult to repair in a way that lasts, so a recharge would most likely have meant the same call again within weeks, with the customer paying for refrigerant twice.
What we did
We put both options in front of the homeowner with what each one would cost, and they chose to replace.
New outdoor unit on a new pad in the same spot, new coil and furnace section in the same closet, and the charge set by measurement at start-up rather than by feel.
Readings
Zero pressure on both the suction and the liquid side before the work started.
