Yesterday I called around after vacuuming, changing the filters and testing two my Central A/C units. My 3.5 ton unit was perfect, however the 5 ton unit was not delivering the 16-22 degree temperature differential between intake & output. After finally getting someone to call me back, I got reamed for $409.00 for 2 pounds of R22 freon and a service call. The only reason I agreed to the outrageous price is no one else even called me back and to me the only thing worse than getting ripped off is sweating in my own home. I have a sneaking suspicion that when Summer finally arrives it's gonna be a hot and humid one.

Went on ebay afterwards and I can get a 10 pound canister of Virgin R22 delievered for $229. Add a set of gauges and I can have ten pounds available for less than I paid for one recharge. This is the first time I ever needed any Freon in my 16 years old 5 ton unit, but now that it is aging, I'm sure the seals will allow some small mount to leak over the Winters. Man........ what a rip-off! Next time I'll do it myself!

Last year I purchased a 30# cylinder of R22 for around $750. Purchased another canister about a month ago for around $500. The supplier said they had bought several thousand pounds of the stuff and consumers were switching out their units to the newer freon instead of having them charged with the 22. I usually have to charge up my old vintage 22 system in the Spring. Yes, I'd be outraged also. As long as you stay COOL.

Yup, that was the first AND last time I get ripped by an A/C Company!

This may ease your pain. I been fixing cars, small engines with my dad since I was under 10yo. I repaired my cars, built my own 4x4 trucks, build hp engines for the trucks, now I’m 67yo my lower back is as tight as cables on a bridge besides other problems. I usually go to the dealer for oil changes, the misses tells them there’s a noise in the front end. Check the brakes. They say it’s ok. A few days later she takes it to a local garage it needs front pads. $25 pads my cost. Well $500 later it’s fixed.

Do you know how many brake jobs I did for the family for decades?

A hundred dollars an hour. The local bike shop quoted a lady $250 to change a front tire on her sons dirtbike.

I took a front 4x4 drive shaft to a shop to have the unjointed pressed. They couldn’t get it apart. I laid it on its side and one shot with a 48 oz ball pain hammer knocked it loose. They said the splines were shot. I changed the unjointed and ten years later after 100,000 miles I sold the truck. It was part time four wheel drive.

Most around my area won’t sell you any type of Freon without a license. Had to get a new one at my shop because of the new car stuff which is really expensive.

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

I deleted that last post, would not want to get the tech in trouble. You can try and find a buddy that has a license to purchase freon and they might spare a couple a pounds the next time.

I won't comment because it's all political.

Look on the bright side. $409 is a lot less than the $7k I just paid to replace my 3.5 ton R-22 unit. A valve had corroded through and let all the Freon out, along with the oil. The 26 year-old compressor took exception to this situation and it was game over.

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Release the Kraken

R22 Freon will be illegal to sell/possess after Jan 01, 2020.

Per the EPA web sight...
As per the US Environmental Protection Agency, R22 will become illegal to possess or sell in the United States on January 1, 2020. After that R22 refrigerant phase out date, R22 can no longer be manufactured or imported into the US.

As per The Montreal Protocal Act it is illegal to knowingly charge/recharge a known leaking R22 refrigeration system punishable by fine and imprisonment.

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I am the Majority
How about u

You need to be EPA certified to buy refrigerant. There are also inherent dangers to hooking up a set of gauges to a system under 225 pounds of pressure. You risk injury if you are not sure of what you are doing. YouTube is not a good idea in this case, they don't show you the risk you are taking. If you don't want to be "ripped off", shop around for a qualified HVAC tech that takes pride in his work. And finally, there are no seals to leak, your system has a leak caused by age or friction of two components rubbing together. Please don't make HVAC guys out to be bad guys, most are just trying to provide for their families.

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Recycled Bricklayer

My heating & air conditioning contractor advised me several years ago about the R22 Freon issues (availability, costs). He also advised me that our 19 year old forced air gas furnace was one for which parts were increasingly difficult to find. So, rather than waiting for problems during a spell of very hot or very cold weather, we decided to replace the furnace and a/c with new units. Work was completed last week. Got a pretty good price. Two less things to worry about now.

If/when my 27 year old Trane heat pump central unit goes out then I will buy a couple window units.
One way to force people to buy new ac systems is to make the Freon of old obsolete, to expensive or impossible to find. Remember R-12? When patents expire so does the product in many cases. That's what happened to R-12. I imagine R-22 could be in the same bucket as R-12.

Don't you know you can get a window unit cheaper than what you paid?

Yea, but I got a lot of windows!

Seriously, I have a large home and 2 units of central A/C is the way to go. Can't stand the noise, rattling and looks of window units. I had them in my first home and so I am quite familiar with them.

I feel your pain-last year I replaced the A/C on one side on my building with a new unit. My office-conference rom side of the building still has the original Freon 22 unit in it which now has developed a leak. another unit to replace this summer.................
When I used to HVAC back during the summers of college I remember the mechanic using 22 to blow out a drain because he didn't want to go back down to the truck for the compressed air......... I lugged a TON of those light green 20 pound canisters back in my day....

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Forum consigliere

Bricker is absolutely right. There are only two scenarios where a refrigerant leak can’t be repaired. Corrosion on a steel part like the compressor, receiver, or accumulator or at the fusite seal where the compressor terminals penetrate the can. Either of these usually cause a very vigorous leak. The real rip off is if he didn’t properly repair the leak and pull a deep vacuum on the system and hold it. If he just topped it off and called it fixed, I’d have issues with that. I’ve repaired leaks on every part of a system that is copper or brass and had them hold up for years.

But what do I know, I’m just a chiller technician. The only repairs I do like that are for family and friends and on my own a/c, and sometimes if I want extra cash to buy a S&W

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

I'm sure there are some tech's and guys in the HVAC game that are descent guys (just haven't found them yet) and I would NEVER begrudge anyone from making a living. In my area of the Country they want to make a years salary in 3 months and that is probably the impetus for charging outrageous prices. I don't mind paying for something I just resent being "held up" (without a gun) because they all seem to play the same game! When I was calling around, most of the Company's I spoke with would not even give me prices - except they stated it would cost me between $139 - $175 for the service man just to ring the door bell and the cost of the Freon was un-quoted until they got here - NO THANKS!

Now that I can properly cool my home this season, I can look around for other options without pressure. I do not the heat & humidity - although I do actually know some who enjoy it.

- "although I do actually know some who enjoy it". Yep me to... Snubby runs his furnace in the summer!

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I am the Majority
How about u

Air conditioning?? What's that?? Oh that's right the stuff we have in cars. We do not use A/C. really don't need it here, thankfully. Even when it gets into the hundreds. At night it gets back down to the 60s. Low humidity esp in the summer. Raining here right now and I just lit a fire in the woodstove...

Yeah my woodstove is going too. I have a 30# jug of 22 I'll let got for $300, have to pick up tho

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There's nowt so queer as folk

I remember R12 going for close to $100 lb.

I remember buck a pound wholesale. Then came certification tests at $45 a head, Then came recycling machines which cost a lot. Then came various alternative freons, which required additional recycling machines. Then came the surge of older cars needing service (which helped pay for the R12 recycling machines).

I am selling a house, it uses R22. There are stockpiles of recycled R22, since they have been pulling it out of older ac's. But the home inspection lists it as no longer serviced.

If you're handy, that's a great solution to the problem. My son in law paid $350 for the service call and 5 lbs on Wednesday, but he paid and just wanted his a/c on again tooSent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

That's some really steep Freon. I think that you were a bit 'overcharged'. I find that to be true of getting anything fixed these days. They charge a fortune because what are you going to do and you don't get the bill until after the fact.

I had a 30 lb can of Freon and made my own set of gauges out of pipe parts, gauges and valves. I got it before they outlawed consumers buying it so I was in good shape. My neighbor across the street had a weak AC and said he couldn't afford to get somebody out to look at it, but said he had done a lot of AC work before. I let slip that he could borrow my rig and put a few pounds in his system. The next day he said that he needed to get 300 lbs in the thing. "What the...." I thought. He returned the can the next day......EMPTY. He told me that the 300# he was reading was a the TEST PRESSURE and he had used the whole dam can trying to get it up to 300 lbs. What he needed was more like 30. When they changed the type of Freon used it became moot, but that had me more than just a little aggravated.

I would now suggest that I, ME look at it and put the stuff in myself. Live and learn.

I found a car mechanic I liked after the other one I used went from great to crooked. Took my son's car in for a new master brake cylinder. Turned out there were some other problems with the cylinders and calipers that took some time to iron out. (This Cadillac has everything interlocked, so that if one thing goes out, everything goes with it) I had the master cylinder so the estimate for just replacing that was like $169. I about had a brick when the bill came to five hundred and a half dollars. I'm thinking that maybe this guy was good to us to get out business and now is putting the screws to us.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

File this one under blue collar jobs that pay very well, but kids these days don’t want


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Guess I shouldn't have given that 20 pound cylinder of R22 to the repairman....

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Foster Positivity.

I’ve taken all of my kids out on service calls with me at various times in their lives and told them: “This is the trade I can teach you and you’ll make a good living doing it, but you’ll never get rich.” So far, they’re all on a good track to college and they have a lot of respect for guys like me that sweat our butts off so others can be comfortable.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

Wow.....I guess I got a deal.

My HVAC guy just put 2 lbs of R22 in my upstairs unit. $60 a lb. plus $70 for the service call. $190 total.

Until it leaks out again

I just want to see the blooper reel of do-it-yourselfers disconnecting the high side. Fun times with no injuries hopefully. EPA be damned lol


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Mercks ,,,, Use to carry a very heavy rag or an old hand towel to assist in the removal of the high side hose. Use to call it the Refrigerant Recovery Rag!