Recharging Payne Air Conditioning Unit
My home has a Payne 018-060-PA10 air conditioner unit, which does not keep my house very cool. It is big enough for the house. The problem is that the air which comes out of the vents is just not very cold. I have been told that my system may need a recharge. I have already checked and changed the air filter on the blower. The unit is only 2 or 3 years old, and I've hardly used it, so I am assuming that it needs a charge. So, here's the deal. I want to recharge it myself. I don't know anything specifically about air conditioners, but I am an engineer and I have lots of tools and instruments. Can someone please explain to me a general synopsis of what I need to know in order to recharge my AC.
Answer:
I've been having stomach pains. I've got a stomach which is big enough for me. But it isn't working very well. Someone told me I may have a "hot appendix". I don't feel like going to a doctor, so please write me directions for cooling my own appendix. More to the point. You don't have a real diagnosis, you've got a SWAG. If you really feel like you want to proceed with your SWAG, write me back (on this list) and I'll walk you through an evacuation and recharge procedure for a typical home central AC system. But, I'd suggest you call a local service company and tell them your AC isn't cooling very well. Let the tech figure out the problem. Yeah, a lot of guys don't know much, but you may get a good tech. Added to what the others have said is that if the problem actually turns out that the system may "need a recharge", then as an engineer you should stop and think about WHERE the refrigerant has gone....It's left through something which should be impervious to gas leakage, but has gone bad.