Loading... My air conditioner is not working and I'm afraid of taking it in because I have heard it's going to be a lot to fix it. I have also heard that it might be the freon. Is there a way to check myself?

Your best bet would be to find a reputable contractor to come and perform a diagnostic. There is normally a charge to get the technician to your home (diagnostic) and then additional charges may be incurred depending on the repairs that may be needed. Some contractors charge a flat rate (recommended) and some charge and hourly rate. If it does indeed need a freon charge, they usually charge by the pound (3lb. freon, etc.).

If you can get a referral from a friend, great. If not, definitely call a couple of contractors before making a choice. Besides the internet, you can always rely on the good old fashioned yellow pages. Good luck!

What do you mean by taking it in? It may be easier for you call a specialist to do diagnostics and tell you what is wrong before repair. Some AC contractors will come to you and tell you what's wrong then you can make a smart decision about what you want to do next. Which city are you in? If you are in Houston, you may want to contact http://www.rastx.com for some advice. If not, let me know which city and I may be able to make some other recommendations.

An air conditioner cools your home by pumping cold refrigerant through a series of coiled tubes, one inside your house called the evaporator, the other outside your house called condenser. The evaporator and the condenser are simply coils of copper... keep reading →