AC Repair Services › Refrigerant Leak Detection and Recharge

Refrigerant Leak Detection and Recharge in Tempe, AZ

Refrigerant is the substance that actually moves heat out of your home, and if the system is leaking it, adding more without finding the source is a temporary fix at best. We locate where the refrigerant is escaping, repair that point, and then bring the charge back to the manufacturer's specified level. A system recharged without fixing the leak will just be low again in a few months.

Call (928) 564-6468

When to Call

When You Need Refrigerant Leak Detection and Recharge

The air coming from your vents feels cool but not cold even when the system runs all day
You can see ice buildup on the copper refrigerant lines near the outdoor unit
Your energy bills have gone up but the house isn't getting any cooler
A technician told you the charge is low but didn't find or fix any leak
You hear a faint hissing near the indoor or outdoor unit when the system runs
The system short-cycles and shuts off before the house reaches the set temperature

How It Works

Our Process for Refrigerant Leak Detection and Recharge

1

Pressure test

We connect gauges to check the current refrigerant pressure. This tells us how low the system is and gives us a starting point for the leak search.
2

Leak detection

We use an electronic leak detector and UV dye method to locate the source. Common spots are the evaporator coil, schrader valves, and brazed line connections.
3

Leak repair

We fix the leak at the source before adding any refrigerant. The repair method depends on location — some are valve replacements, some require brazing.
4

System evacuation

If the repair required opening the system, we pull a vacuum to remove moisture and air before recharging. Skipping this step causes problems later.
5

Recharge to specification

We add refrigerant to the manufacturer's specified charge level, not just until the pressure looks reasonable. We verify with superheat and subcooling readings.
6

Confirm cooling performance

We run the system and measure supply air temperature to confirm the unit is cooling properly before we leave.

What's included

Electronic leak detection on accessible refrigerant lines and components
UV dye injection and inspection to identify leaks not found by detector alone
Repair of the leak at the confirmed source point
System evacuation when the refrigerant circuit was opened during repair
Refrigerant recharge measured to manufacturer specification using superheat and subcooling
Post-recharge performance check to confirm correct temperature drop across the coil

What's not included

Evaporator coil replacement is a separate repair if the coil itself has failed beyond patching
Leaks inside a wall or in buried line sets may require additional access work quoted separately
Refrigerant cost is separate from the labor for detection and repair

Real Situations

Common Scenarios in Tempe

A homeowner in the Optimist Park neighborhood has had the same system recharged twice in two summers and it's blowing warm again.

We treat this as a confirmed leak situation from the start and focus the visit on finding the source rather than just adding charge again. We use the UV dye from prior service if it's still visible. Once we find and fix the leak, the recharge should hold for the life of the equipment.

A Tempe condo owner notices ice on the lines in August and turns the system off, then calls us.

We let the system thaw completely before running any tests, since accurate pressure readings require the coil to be clear of ice. Once thawed, we run our leak detection process. Low refrigerant is the most common cause of coil freeze in this climate, but we confirm it rather than assume.

A homeowner bought a house with an older R-22 system and needs to know their options when it starts losing charge.

We explain the situation honestly. R-22 is no longer manufactured, and older systems that leak will eventually reach a point where maintaining them isn't cost-effective. We find and repair the current leak if it's feasible, recharge with available reclaimed refrigerant, and give you a clear picture of what continued ownership of that system looks like.

Tempe Context

Why this matters in Tempe

Tempe's extreme summer temperatures put refrigerant-side components under sustained stress for five to six months a year. Coils that were installed in the mid-2000s are at the age where pinhole leaks become common. The hard water here also accelerates corrosion on copper components over time, which contributes to leak formation in systems that otherwise appear to be in decent shape.

Straight Talk

About pricing & scope

The cost of this service depends on how much refrigerant the system needs, where the leak is located, and what's required to fix it. A valve replacement is straightforward. A coil leak or a leak in an inaccessible line set takes more time and may require a follow-up visit. We tell you what we find and what each option costs before doing the work.

What This Fixes