re: What's the going rate for A/C freon

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Central A/C Unit is out of freon and A/C guy wants to charge $100. per lb. Unit takes 8 lbs. Is he over charging? The unit is a Trane & about 8 years old.

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Better posted to the Home & Garden Board

$100 per pound is the going rate for R-22 refrigerant (R-22) but I would think an eight year old unit would be using R410A refrigerant - 410A should be much cheaper than R-22 but I don’t know the going rate.

Is the system entirely devoid of refrigerant? Any system requiring more than 3 lbs of refrigerant, and certainly 8 pounds, has a significant leak that should be identified and repaired before being recharged. Evaporator coil leaks, usually requiring replacement, are common in HVACs that age.