How to Refill Heat Pump Refrigerant

Every so often, you will need to have your heat pump refilled with more refrigerant. Professionals say this is a job best left to them, but the task of filling your heat pump is not that complex. If you have a small leak that forces you to often refill the pump, you can save money by doing it yourself. Choose a warm day to do this work because temperatures can affect the readings.

Gauge and valve for loading the refrigerant
Cans of refrigerant

Instructions

- 1
  Turn off the heat pump and the power going to it. Access the gauges. You might have to remove a panel to do this, or the gauges might be on the outside of the heat pump.
- 2
  Find the large insulated refrigerant line that runs from your home to the pump. This line connects to the suction gauge port.
- 3
  Remove the caps on the low-suction and head-pressure ports. Thread down the gauge connections on the ports until they are tight.
- 4
  Turn the power back on and set the pump to cool. After 15 minutes, check the reading. Compare the gauge pressure readings with what the documentation that came with your pump requires. If it is 10 percent or more below the requirement, you should refill it.
- 5
  Thread down the other end of the gauge onto one of the cans of refrigerant. Turn the valve to load the refrigerant into the system. When the gauge line feels cold to the touch, shut off the valve.
- 6
  Take another reading after a few minutes. Add another can of refrigerant if necessary. When the pressure reaches the required level, remove the gauges.
- 7
  Replace the caps and the panel if you had to remove a panel.

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