Guidance requested ; Copper pipes leak between Compressor and wall unit

[stuartw]

Why have the copper pipes in my air conditioning started to leak?
Has anyone ever heard of actual pipes being faulty ?

My house was built, to a very good standard, 12 years ago. It had not been occupied before I purchased it.

The home was pre-piped for air conditioning. This year, three separate a/c systems (9 rooms) were installed.

One set fails repeatedly, losing gas. The installer tells me the old copper pipes for 2 bedrooms a ( 2+1 ) are faulty and need to be replaced. Has anyone ever found this before ? What steps should I take ?
Thank you for your guidance. I dont want to unnecessary waste more money and effort !

[seanf]

Is there access to the pre-piped sections or is it all sealed within walls?

I would be asking if the installer has done a leak check and is not just guessing where the leak or even multiple leaks are.

Brand new outdoor and indoor units sometimes come out the factory with leaks.

The pre-piped section could have been installed poorly, been mechanically damaged, suffered corrosion or installed with poor quality material.

If they have leak checked the system as a whole, maybe consider isolating the pre-piped section and test it on its own.

[still learning]

Hi
in the past I have seen scores in pipe work that was pulled thru rough holes to get pipe from a to b
as in a house as few joints along the way in walls floors and ceilings are kept to a minimum.
and. If possible joint to be some where you can access with a little demolition as possible.
another thing I have come across one time only was a 1/4 copper pipe that had a factory fault about halfway into the coil ,and as it was lagged and payed out along the crawl space in the eaves .
Was not found. Until the pressure test before commissioning .

i count myself lucky that I could get into the crawl space to braze in a section with out much damage
and not in the finished plastered ceilings below .

so separate the suspect pipework one at a time and listen
good luck ,can be frustrating I know and time consuming.

[r.bartlett]

Why have the copper pipes in my air conditioning started to leak?
Has anyone ever heard of actual pipes being faulty ?

My house was built, to a very good standard, 12 years ago. It had not been occupied before I purchased it.

The home was pre-piped for air conditioning. This year, three separate a/c systems (9 rooms) were installed.

One set fails repeatedly, losing gas. The installer tells me the old copper pipes for 2 bedrooms a ( 2+1 ) are faulty and need to be replaced. Has anyone ever found this before ? What steps should I take ?
Thank you for your guidance. I dont want to unnecessary waste more money and effort !

Builders can be a bit rough and often rather than use qualified engineers will either do it themselves or ask the plumber..

I have seen pre install pipework damaged by the plasterer after install as they rush to finish so just bend it out the way. Then unlike UK there are usually no set safe zones so it's possible it's been damaged in the wall by someone putting up a picture or kitchen cabinet etc etc
Also if not lagged properly then the cement can eat the copper and cause leaks.

+ if you live very close to the sea it can ruin copper in a few years
ask your installer to number the steps he has taken to confirm it is the pipes in the wall.

it should be:
1, isloate and confirm pipes inside and outside
2, braize inside pipes (1/4+ 3/8) ends to seal
3, install schreader to outside ends
4, OFN to 10 bar
5, 24 hr test to confirm pressure remains .
if any pipes have a leak the pressure will drop. It would normally just be one pipe failed but if multiple pipes are leaking then I would be suspicious forsure.



renewing pipes will be a PITA

otherwise he may or may not be telling you the truth (I do not want to cast aspersions)
Richard
Tenerife