Heat pump refrigerant service in San Jose, CA

If your heat pump is low on refrigerant, recharging it is not as simple as topping it off. A refrigerant loss almost always points to an underlying problem that needs to be found and fixed first. This guide from Nur HVAC explains how heat pump refrigerant service should be done properly.

How heat pump refrigerant service works

• Modern refrigerant, not Freon: today’s heat pumps no longer use R-22 (Freon). They run on R-410A (Puron), which is chlorine-free and does not contribute to ozone depletion.
• Find the cause first: a heat pump does not consume refrigerant under normal operation, so low charge means a leak. A qualified technician should diagnose and repair the source before adding any refrigerant.
• Why topping off fails: simply adding refrigerant without fixing the leak can lead to further system damage and won’t solve the underlying problem.
• Evacuate and vacuum: once the issue is repaired, the technician recovers any remaining refrigerant and vacuums the system to remove moisture and air.
• Charge to spec: the system is then charged with the exact amount of refrigerant specified by the manufacturer for correct, efficient operation.

This process requires specialized recovery and gauging equipment and should only be performed by a professional technician. Done correctly, it protects the compressor, restores efficiency, and keeps the heat pump running reliably. Nur HVAC diagnoses the root cause before recharging any system, repairs the fault, and charges to manufacturer specification so the fix lasts.