As temperatures increase, so does the cost for repairing and refilling air conditioners with the coolant gas known as refrigerant. Air-conditioning contractors have already started to warn customers. Compared to a year ago, the price for putting refrigerant into a residential or commercial air conditioner will be radically more expensive.

What it means is the cost has doubled on refrigerant for a service call.

The jump in refrigerant costs is due to reduced supply after a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directive. The EPA is phasing out production of the old refrigerant, known as R-22. That’s because the coolant contains hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are the gases believed to be eroding the earth’s ozone layer.

Instead, the EPA is requiring air conditioning manufacturers to use refrigerant R-410A, which is a cleaner gas. That means the price of the old type of refrigerant has jumped from about $40 per pound to about $90 per pound. A refill of refrigerant in an air conditioning unit usually takes about 5 to 10 pounds of the gas.

These are direct costs that we are paying to buy this refrigerant and we have no choice but to pass this along to the consumer.
The bulk of the high cost in refrigerant to customers is almost entirely linked to repairs to existing air conditioning units in homes and businesses. A single repair cost has jumped from about $100 to $400 since the reduction in supply began.

The skyrocketing price of the old R-22 refrigerant is making the choice to replace much easier. Homeowners are encouraged to make an educated decision as to whether they will pour money into a failing system or replace it.

A customer who is spending $500 to add refrigerant needs to understand there is no guarantee it won’t break down for good the next week or the next day. Why not put that money towards a new air conditioner.

If you had to add refrigerant to your AC last summer, call a trusted service company now, before it gets hot. And consider replacing your failing air conditioner now, before the heat is here and you have to suffer a few days before a contractor can get to you . . . because everyone else also waited.

Here are five things a homeowner can check before calling a professional cooling company.

1. Is the thermostat set correctly? This means that the function switch is showing cool and the set point temperature (the desired temperature) is at least two degrees below the actual temperature in the home. Some setbacks or programmable thermostats can be confusing. If you are in the programming mode and switch the function to cool, the system may not come on. You must be out of the programming mode for the thermostat to activate the cooling system.
2. Wait at least 5 minutes after turning the system to cool for the air conditioner to energize. Many thermostats have a built-in time delay and some air conditioners also have a time delay. This prevents the system from quick cycling which could damage the compressor.
3. Turn the fan on at the thermostat. You should now have air circulation in the home. If nothing happens with the fan in the on position, then check the power to the furnace. If there is power to the furnace the fan motor may be faulty or the circuit board in the furnace is faulty.
4. Does the air conditioner fan operate in the outside unit? If it is on, then there is power to the outside unit. If it is not on, then there may not be power to the outside unit. Check the breaker box and make sure the double pole air conditioner breaker is on. If there is a humming in the outside unit but the fan is not operating then turn the power off to the unit. Check for obstructions like a tree branch that may be impeding the fan from turning.
5. If your indoor fan is running and the outside unit fan is running but the air coming out of the registers is not cool, the compressor in the outside unit may not be operating. You can touch the larger of the two copper pipes coming out of the unit and see if it is cold.

If it cold then the compressor is running. If it is not then the compressor is either not running or has an incorrect refrigerant charge.
At this point it is best to call a professional cooling company.

Having a dirty furnace filter or a dirty outside unit coil will not prevent the system from cooling for a while. Both of these items a homeowner can do themselves.

Keep a clean air filter in the system and keep the outside coil clean by washing it down with water from a hose. The back side of the air conditioner (closest to the house) which the rain does not hit will be the dirtiest. Always check this side and keep the entire coil clean so your utility bills will be the lowest possible.