[Homeowner_1234]

Hello Pros,

About 4 weeks ago, the A/C Tech that I use came by for maintenance tuneup on my two (1st floor & 2nd floor) 15 year-old central HVAC systems. He showed me what looked like oil in 1st floor drip pan of my Rheem air handler, model# RHLL-HM3821JA, S/N: W451012935. He didn't find the actual leak(s), but he was apparently certain that it's the coil leaking, because of the oil he pointed out in the drip pan. He also noted both higher than desired outbound air temp (71.2 F) from air handler as well as lower than desired amount of refrigerant meter reading (I didn’t get #) on the outside condenser unit, which he said was about 3 pounds short. He also said due to the unit’s age, he wouldn’t recommend repairing it, but rather replacing the evaporator coil, and did not want to add refrigerant, "because it would just leak out".

I know it's frowned upon, but when needed, I try to buy parts myself and if I can't DIY their install, I call him, but so far, I've had no luck finding a replacement coil. I called Rheem and they told me the coil part # is RCSL-HU3821CU, which they confirmed as an "active part". However, the local supplier I typically use says he also contacted Rheem, and they told him "based on your unit date code its after August 2009, Replacement Coil w/TXV - On or After Date Code Shown (0809) part # RCSL-HU3617CU or RCH3617STAVUA, is currently unavailable, and doesn't show any ETA or anything in futures". So, now the tech said he's going to try to source a replacement coil, we'll see how that goes. 🤞

In the meantime, the system has been running and cooling the house, but I'm wondering how dangerous it might be, especially to the air inside the house, to run the unit?

I appreciate your feedback.

 

[BBeerme]

Refrigerants these days are very safe, unlike refrigerants from many decades ago. Unlikely there is any danger from your leak. And, the fact it is still cooling the house indicates it is a small leak.

 

[dougfamous]

• Replacing an evaporator coil is not a DIY project. It requires specialty tools and knowledge to do correctly.
• The replacement coil is marked obsolete with no replacement when I looked it up.
• The local supplier's part numbers are wrong. Those are for a 17" wide unit, your unit is 21". They won't fit.
• Running the unit with a low charge can damage the compressor. The compressor is cooled by refrigerant, when the charge is low the compressor can overheat. It will also pull higher amps and run longer cycles. All of these can cause the compressor to fail and make your problem much worse.
• The unit could be recharged so you could use it until a repair is made, but it will continue to leak and there's no way to say how long a recharge would last.
• Your choices are: replace the air handler, try to find an aftermarket coil to fit the current air handler, top off the charge and try a leak sealer, or replace the whole system.

 

[Homeowner_1234]

Thanks for the replies. Until a repair/replacement is made, how concerned would you be about having a leak search done?

 

[pecmsg]

Thanks for the replies. Until a repair/replacement is made, how concerned would you be about having a leak search done?

ZERO!

 

[Homeowner_1234]

Thanks. Others are telling me 💯, some rather emphatically I might add...
"you need to have a leak search done to verify it is the coil."
"have someone authorized by Rheem look it over to see if there are any other issues."
"have technician perform leak search to verify it is a leak in the actual evap coil and not somewhere else."
"I would suggest a dye test to find any leaks to make sure that it isn't somewhere else...Maybe a sniffer can find it...Do so before putting money into a 15 year old system unless you understand the failure."

 

[pecmsg]

If it’s confirmed, it’s in the coil what do you want to keep spending money.
Get a second opinion
It’s 15 years old time to update the equipment
There’s only one way for oil to get into that drain pan

 

[dougfamous]

I would only pay for a leak search if you intend to replace the coil. You want to be sure that's where its leaking AND you don't have other leaks before you spend money on a repair.

Personally, I'd throw a leak sealer with dye in the system and top it off. If the sealer works, great. If not any and all leaks should be easy to spot with a UV light.

 

[20DollarDrum]

How much oil is in the drip pan ?

Like car motor oil in a driveway, a couple of drops, looks like alot.

It was mentioned it has an expansion valve, is it a sweat or flare nut connection ?

If it is flare nut, maybe one of the connections needs a small tightening tweak to make it stop leaking, maybe it just needs a new flare on the copper.

And any copper piping leakage can be fixed as long as you can see it and get a torch in there.

I would at least try and find the source of the leak, unless your good with change out and in that case do not waste the money for a leak check.

One thing we all know is that a leak does not heal itself, it usually only becomes worse.

 

[Homeowner_1234]

Thanks for the replies. But before I address these new replies, I believe @BBeerme is the only one who addressed my main concern regarding potential danger to indoor air when saying "Unlikely there is any danger...". Also, I understand that @dougfamous, made clear the potential danger of the compressor overheating and/or failing, so I'm keeping that in mind.

That said, I'd appreciate hearing from more pros regarding how dangerous it is to indoor air, to keep running the unit with a leak suspected in the evaporator coil of the air handler.

 

[20DollarDrum]

Kids used to "sniff" R22 because they thought it was giving them a "high"

What it was actually doing, was displacing the oxygen molecules in their lungs and brain and they though they were getting high, when all they were doing was killing their brain cells.

Not sure what R410a does but it can not be good in large doses.

 

[HVAC_Marc]

Your air is perfectly safe. Run it and forget about it until it stops again.

 

[pecmsg]

Your air is perfectly safe. Run it and forget about it until it stops again.

Are you sure?
Tenor

 

[BBeerme]

All we have is history. Can you name just one time since the mid 90's where a small leak affected humans? A leak so small the A/C was still cooling? That's 30 years, pretty long history of zero health problems.

Are you sure?
Tenor

 

[pecmsg]

The kid that sued Kroger and won 75 million
That was small in comparison to the total charge

 

[BBeerme]

He broke a fitting or pipe, releasing massive amounts of refrigerant, got his hand(s?) frozen to the pipe (the article said) so he could not leave (?). His hands suffered greatly, but [apparently] no other health issues.

The kid that sued Kroger and won 75 million
That was small in comparison to the total charge

 

[pecmsg]

He broke a fitting or pipe, releasing massive amounts of refrigerant, got his hand(s?) frozen to the pipe (the article said) so he could not leave (?). His hands suffered greatly, but [apparently] no other health issues.

I remember trying to get a cap on a leaking liquid line. NOPE
Boss we got a problem!

 

[20DollarDrum]

Try putting the schrader valve cap on the liquid valve when it is gushing out the white cloud .... I had one just a few weeks ago that did that when I pulled my hose off.

 

[Homeowner_1234]

Thanks to all for your feedback, I truly appreciate it.

So far, it hasn't seemed to affect the health of anyone in the house, and although the unit is still cooling the house, it's time to 💩 or get off the pot, as the entire indoor coil is frozen, and I noticed "water" at the bottom of the compressor unit outside, so I've turned the unit off.

I would only pay for a leak search if you intend to replace the coil. You want to be sure that's where its leaking AND you don't have other leaks before you spend money on a repair.

I would at least try and find the source of the leak, unless your good with change out and in that case do not waste the money for a leak check.

As for the leak search, these opinions seems to be at odds, so...? 🤷‍♂️

That said, my first inclination is try and top off the system, which leads me to some other questions:
1) Has anyone heard of * , and if so are they legit?
2) It's been about 5 weeks since the tech said the unit was low about 3 pounds of refrigerant, so how many pounds would you order 5, 10, 15, 25?
3) Which leak sealer & dye would you recommend?
4) If I supply the refrigerant, how much is reasonable to expect to pay the tech, in Southeast Florida, to throw a leak sealer with dye in the system and top it off?

Removed link

 

[pecmsg]

Are you licensed to handle refrigerant?
Do you have any training at all?