AC refrigerant leaks in Rancho Cordova & beyond.

AC Refrigerant Leak Detection & Repair

Topping off refrigerant without fixing the leak is throwing money away. We find leaks and actually repair them.

• Electronic Leak Detection
• Actual Repair—Not Just Recharge
• No Overtime Charges
• Licensed Since '81 (#401802)

AC Keeps Losing Refrigerant?

If someone's been out to 'add Freon' more than once, you have a leak. Refrigerant doesn't wear out—it leaks out. Time to actually fix it.

Here's the thing about refrigerant: it doesn't get used up. Your AC isn't burning it like gas. If you're low, it leaked out somewhere. The "just add refrigerant" scam: Some companies love to show up, check pressures, tell you you're low, add a pound or two, and collect $200. They'll see you again next summer. And the summer after that. Meanwhile you've spent $600 on refrigerant that's now in the atmosphere, and the leak is still there.

Why leaks happen:

• Vibration: Copper rubs against copper, eventually wears through. Common at the compressor and where lines pass through the cabinet.
• Corrosion: Formicary corrosion eats pinholes in evaporator coils. Thanks, household chemicals and off-gassing from building materials.
• Age: Brazed joints and flare fittings loosen over time. Schrader valves (like tire valves) wear out.
• Bad installation: Kinked lines, improper brazing, missing insulation—problems from day one that show up years later.

Leak Detection

We use electronic detectors, UV dye, and pressure testing to find exactly where it's leaking.

Finding a refrigerant leak isn't always obvious. Some leaks are fast—you lose a pound a week. Some are slow—takes all summer to get low. Our process: Electronic detection: Highly sensitive detectors that find refrigerant vapor. We check every joint, fitting, and component. UV dye: For slow leaks that are hard to pinpoint, UV dye circulates with the refrigerant and shows up under black light at the leak point. Nitrogen pressure testing: For stubborn leaks or when we need to be absolutely certain. Pressurize the system and listen, or use soap bubbles to find it. We don't guess. We find it.

Repair Options

We show you what we found and give you real choices—repair, replace, or honest conversation.

Once we find the leak, you get options: Simple leak: Fitting, valve, or accessible line leak. We braze it, replace the component, pull a vacuum, and recharge. Fixed. Coil leak: Evaporator coil with pinhole leaks. Sometimes we can repair individual leaks. Often the coil has multiple failures and replacement makes more sense. We'll show you the condition and let you decide. The honest conversation: If your system is old, uses R-22, and needs a coil replacement, we'll do the math with you. Sometimes fixing an old leaky system costs more than replacing it. We'll give you real numbers. No pressure. Your system, your money, your call.

Proper Repair

We fix it right—brazing, component replacement, vacuum, and proper recharge.

Refrigerant repair isn't just soldering and hoping. If we're brazing: We flow nitrogen through the system during brazing to prevent oxidation inside the lines. We let joints cool properly. We leak-test the repair before moving on. After repair: Deep vacuum to remove moisture and air. At least 500 microns, held for 30 minutes. Anything less and you'll have problems. Then: Proper refrigerant charge by weight or superheat/subcooling, depending on your system. Not "until it feels cold."We document everything. What we found, what we fixed, how much refrigerant went in. You have a record.

Verification

We test the repair, run the system, and make sure it's actually fixed.

We don't button it up and hope. After repair, we leak test the fix. Run the system, check pressures, verify it's holding. Watch for temperature drop at the registers to confirm it's cooling properly again. We also tell you what to watch for. If it was a coil leak and we repaired one spot, the coil may develop more leaks later. We're honest about that. If it comes back within a reasonable time, we stand behind the repair.

Why Choose JR Putman Plumbing, Heating & Air

• Find It First - Real leak detection, not just topping off and hoping.
• Actually Fix It - Repair the leak, not just the symptoms. Stop paying for refrigerant every year.
• Honest Assessment - If repair doesn't make sense, we'll tell you straight.
• Proper Process - Vacuum, leak test, charge by spec. Done right.