Important: Refrigerant work is EPA regulated. ProAir Georgetown technicians hold current EPA Section 608 Universal certification. We recover, recycle, and recharge refrigerant according to federal regulations and never vent refrigerants to atmosphere.
Refrigerant Leak Detection & Testing
Professional leak detection using electronic sniffers and UV dye. Find leaks before recharging, or recharge just moves the problem.
High-sensitivity electronic leak detectors locate small leaks in coils, line sets, and fittings that visual inspection misses.
UV dye injection and black light inspection, effective for finding intermittent or slow leaks that evade electronic detection.
Pressure test refrigerant circuits with dry nitrogen to verify leak-free condition before charging new refrigerant.
Refrigerant Service & Recovery
Proper refrigerant recharge, measured by subcooling and superheat, not just pressure gauges. We charge to manufacturer spec.
EPA-compliant refrigerant recovery before any system work requiring circuit opening.
Deep vacuum pull to remove moisture and non-condensables before refrigerant charge, critical for system longevity.
Extended deep vacuum to achieve proper micron levels, we don't rush this step that protects compressor life.
Convert systems from discontinued refrigerants to approved drop-in or replacement refrigerants.
Line Set Service & Repair
Flush contaminated line sets during compressor replacement to prevent new compressor failure from acid or debris.
Professional braze repair of pinhole leaks and joint failures in copper refrigerant lines.
Repair damaged liquid line sections including crimps, kinks, and corrosion failures.
Replace deteriorated suction line insulation, critical for efficiency and preventing condensation in Georgetown's humid summers.
Seal wall and foundation penetrations around line sets to prevent pest entry and air infiltration.
Install locking valve caps to prevent refrigerant theft and unauthorized access to Schrader valves.
Cooling Circuit Components
Replace leaking Schrader valve cores, a small but common source of refrigerant loss over time.
Install or replace liquid line filter driers, required after any system opening to remove moisture and acid.
Replace leaking or damaged service valves on compressors and line set connections.
Replace failed accumulators that protect compressors from liquid refrigerant slugging.
Replace failed thermostatic expansion valves, a hunting or stuck TXV causes refrigerant distribution problems and efficiency loss.
Repair or replace discharge line mufflers that reduce compressor noise and vibration.
Evaporator & Condenser Coil Service
Clean, inspect, and service evaporator coils, dirty coils are a leading cause of reduced cooling capacity in Georgetown homes.
Replace failed or leaking evaporator coils, including proper refrigerant recovery, installation, and recharge.
Straighten bent evaporator fins to restore full airflow through the coil and recover lost capacity.
Clean condenser coils fouled by Georgetown's cottonwood, dust, and debris, critical for summer efficiency.
Repair pinhole leaks and minor damage in condenser coils when full replacement isn't required.
Deep acid wash for severely fouled condenser coils, removes mineral scale, oxidation, and embedded debris.
Address the root cause of a frozen evaporator coil, low refrigerant or restricted airflow. We fix the cause, not just defrost.
Diagnose and repair the refrigerant or airflow condition causing ice formation on copper suction lines.
Converting an Older System to a Different Refrigerant
A refrigerant retrofit means converting a system originally designed for one refrigerant, most commonly R-22 on older equipment, to run on a different, currently available refrigerant, since R-22 production has been phased out under federal regulation and remaining supply is limited and increasingly expensive. Retrofit isn't as simple as draining out the old refrigerant and charging in something new, because different refrigerants have different pressure-temperature relationships, different oil compatibility requirements, and different volumetric efficiency, meaning a straight refrigerant swap without other changes often produces a system that runs but performs poorly or puts unusual stress on the compressor.
The most common approach for R-22 systems is converting to one of the approved drop-in replacement refrigerants formulated to closely match R-22's operating characteristics while being compatible, or nearly compatible, with the existing mineral oil already in the system, avoiding a full oil change in some cases. This requires recovering the existing R-22, flushing if oil compatibility is a concern, replacing the filter drier, and recharging with the replacement refrigerant at a different weight than the original R-22 charge, since these substitutes typically require a different charge amount to achieve equivalent performance, verified by measuring subcooling and superheat against the replacement refrigerant's specific pressure-temperature chart rather than the R-22 chart the system was originally designed around.
We're honest with Georgetown homeowners that a retrofit is often a bridge solution rather than a permanent one, particularly on a system that's already older and near the end of its expected service life for other reasons, condenser or evaporator coil age, compressor wear, or general system efficiency compared to current equipment. A retrofit can be the right call when a home's system otherwise has significant remaining life and a single refrigerant leak has simply made recharging with increasingly scarce R-22 impractical, but for a system with multiple age-related concerns, we walk through the full cost comparison between retrofit and replacement so the decision reflects the system's real condition, not just the immediate refrigerant availability problem. Georgetown has a substantial number of homes built before 2010 still running original R-22 equipment, making this a conversation we have regularly.
Refrigerant Retrofit Questions, Georgetown TX
AC Not Cooling? Low Refrigerant?
EPA certified technicians. We find leaks, fix them, then recharge, in that order.