Note: It's important to have the proper tools and knowledge to work on an AC unit. If you're not confident in your ability to perform this task, it's best to have a professional HVAC technician do it.
1. Turn off the power to the AC unit. This can be done by flipping the circuit breaker or disconnecting the power cord.
2. Locate the refrigerant ports on the AC unit. There are usually two ports, one labeled "liquid" and the other labeled "suction."
3. Attach a refrigerant manifold gauge set to the ports. The red hose goes to the liquid port, the blue hose goes to the suction port, and the yellow hose goes to the refrigerant tank.
4. Open the tank valve and the suction port valve. This will allow the refrigerant to flow from the unit into the tank.
5. Close the liquid port valve. This will prevent any more refrigerant from flowing into the unit.
6. Wait for the unit to pump down. This can take several minutes or hours, depending on the size of the unit. The gauges will show the pressure dropping as the refrigerant is removed.
7. Once the pressure has dropped to zero, close the suction port valve and the tank valve. This will stop the flow of refrigerant.
8. Disconnect the manifold gauge set from the unit.
9. Turn on the power to the AC unit.
10. Test the unit to make sure it's working properly.
By following these steps, you can pump down a home central AC unit without losing freon.
