Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerseygirl08
I keep reading about this "copper tubing" needing to be replaced because of refrigerant leaks. It has occurred to me that copper should not break down and develop leaks. Then, I conclude that the "leaks" must be somewhere else, say, the coil in the upper part of the unit in the garage. A thin coil could develop leaks before thick copper tubing - sealed off within a pvc pipe - buried under your concrete slab. Please help me understand how copper tubing could "develop a leak".
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There are two coils in your HVAC system, the condenser coil (outside unit) and the evaporator coil (inside unit). Both coils are made of metal tubing, but they have thin metal fins attached to the outside of the tubing to increase the heat transfer process. The copper tubing that runs from the outside unit to the inside unit is usually installed underground and has no joints. Most refrigerant leaks occur where the tubing connects to one of the coils because there is a mechanical joint connection that can fail. The coils can also develop a leak over time because of moisture and corrosion. The underground tubing can also develop a leak, from ground or slab movement or corrosion, but it is rare that an HVAC company will need to replace the underground copper tubing. The typical HVAC system installation will replace both coils and the mechanical connections but will not replace the underground tubing. If the tubing needs to be replaced, they will usually run the tubing through the attic, because it is virtually impossible to install it under the concrete slab.