Why Would A Spp-6 Hand Start Be Used On An Air-conditioning Unit?
I purchased a brand new home in December, 2005. In August, 2007, the upstairs air-conditioning unit stopped working. The tech came out and said there was a small leak that he could not visually see, where all the freon had leaked out. He said the leak was so small that he would have to use dye in order to locate it. He did not fix the problem that day, instead he put two units of freon in and used a hand start. We have learned since then that putting freon in a unit that is leaking is against the law. We also feel our unit was defective the moment it was installed. We do have a five year warranty on the unit and are prepared to go to court if necessary. I would appreciate anyone who is knowledgeable in this area to give us some feedback. Are we crazy to think we got a "lemon"? How is it possible that a unit, that is only a year and a half old, need two units of freon and a Spp-6 hand start, whatever that is? Please help! We cannot afford to keep repairing this unit! Thanks
Answer:
it definitely should not have a freon leak if it is new...it is legal to put freon in a unit that still has a leak...as long as it does not take more than 10 percent of the total charge of the unit to make it work per year...a spp-6 hard start is to help the compressor start....this would only be used if there was some kind of compressor starting problem...the unit being under warranty doesn't necessarily mean they have to replace it unless it cannot be repaired...they can do whatever is necessary to repair it at no cost to you...considering this unit is fairly new the leak is probably in the connections where the line sets connect to the condenser or evaporator... Your ac is defective and leaking. Call the manufacturer and request a warranty claim. Tell them what happened,also fib and tell them you saw sparks and heard a popping noise. This should get there attention!