AC Repair Services › Refrigerant Recharge and Leak Repair

Refrigerant Recharge and Leak Repair in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Refrigerant does not get used up — if the level is low, it leaked out somewhere. Adding refrigerant without finding and sealing the leak means it will leak out again, usually within a season. We locate the leak first, repair it, and then recharge the system to the correct level.

Call (754) 354-3070

When to Call

When You Need Refrigerant Recharge and Leak Repair

AC runs but blows air that is only slightly cooler than room temperature
Ice keeps forming on the copper lines even after the coil thaws
A tech previously recharged the system but it stopped cooling again
You see an oily residue on or near the copper refrigerant lines
The system short-cycles and the compressor sounds like it is straining
Your unit is older and has not been serviced in several years

How It Works

Our Process for Refrigerant Recharge and Leak Repair

1

Measure the current refrigerant pressure

We connect gauges to the service ports and read suction and discharge pressures. This tells us how far below the correct charge the system is and helps locate where the leak might be.
2

Find the leak

We use an electronic leak detector and UV dye to find where refrigerant is escaping. Common spots are the evaporator coil, schrader valves, flare connections, and the condenser coil near the slab.
3

Repair the leak source

Depending on where the leak is, we braze the fitting, replace the valve core, or recommend coil replacement if the coil itself has corroded through. We do not recharge a system with an active leak.
4

Pressure test before recharging

After the repair, we pressurize the system with nitrogen and hold the pressure to verify the leak is sealed. This step prevents the refrigerant charge from escaping again immediately.
5

Recharge to manufacturer spec

We add the correct type and amount of refrigerant for the system. We go by the manufacturer's rated subcooling or superheat, not a generic target, to get the system running right.
6

Verify system performance

We run the unit and confirm temperatures and pressures are within normal range before closing out the job. If the coil damage is too severe to repair, we tell you plainly what replacement would involve.

What's included

Pressure measurement on both high and low side of the refrigerant circuit
Electronic leak detection and UV dye inspection on accessible components
Repair of the identified leak point, including brazing or valve replacement
Nitrogen pressure test to verify the repair before adding refrigerant
Recharge to manufacturer-specified level for the system model

What's not included

Evaporator or condenser coil replacement if the coil itself is the leak source
Refrigerant recovery from an overcharged system — that is billed separately
Duct repairs or air handler work unrelated to the refrigerant circuit

Real Situations

Common Scenarios in Fort Lauderdale

A homeowner in Wilton Manors had their AC recharged last summer by another company and now it is blowing warm air again.

We find the leak that the previous tech missed or skipped. In a lot of cases like this, the Schrader valve cores are the culprit — cheap fix that gets overlooked. We seal it, pressure test, and recharge correctly this time.

A property manager in Fort Lauderdale has a unit in a rental that keeps icing up on the evaporator coil every few weeks.

Recurring ice formation with low refrigerant pressure almost always points to an evaporator coil leak. We pull the air handler panel, check the coil with dye, and determine whether the leak is repairable or whether the coil needs replacement.

A homeowner near the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea notices an oily residue on the copper line set running along the exterior wall.

Oil streaks on refrigerant lines mean refrigerant oil is migrating with escaping refrigerant — a clear sign of a leak at a joint or fitting. We check every connection on that line set, find the spot, and braze or replace the fitting before recharging.

Fort Lauderdale Context

Why this matters in Fort Lauderdale

The combination of salt air and year-round system operation in Fort Lauderdale corrodes evaporator coils faster than most homeowners expect. Coils in homes within a mile of the coast can develop pinhole leaks within five to eight years. The problem is common enough that we see it regularly, and a lot of slow-leak cases go undiagnosed until the system stops cooling entirely.

Straight Talk

About pricing & scope

The cost of this service depends on how much refrigerant the system needs and whether the leak repair requires brazing, a valve replacement, or a coil replacement. Coil replacement is a materially larger job and we will tell you that clearly before starting. Refrigerant type matters too — older systems using R-22 have a very different cost profile than current R-410A systems.

What This Fixes