You will not be able to add Freon to an LG portable air conditioner without adding a valve, which is why it should be left to the professionals.
You should not really have to top up the Freon levels for your LG portable air conditioner, which is why there is no service valve through which to access the system.
This is also why you should probably contact a professional to help you find the source of the leak, first.
Can you add Freon to an LG portable air conditioner?
If you have owned any kind of large or industrial air conditioner, chances are, you have had to have a professional come out to “recharge” your air conditioner when the unit was not cooling the way it was supposed to.
Unfortunately, if your LG portable air conditioner is showing signs of low refrigerant levels, you will not be able to simply add Freon. At least not without making some serious changes to the way that your air conditioner operates.
Portable air conditioners come hermetically sealed from the factory. This means that it is a completely self-contained system and that your unit should never lose any Freon if it is functioning correctly.
Therefore, if you notice that your unit may be running low on refrigerant, there must be a bigger issue somewhere else that is causing that leak.
This is also the reason why for most states in the US, the EPA requires that only licensed technicians attempt to recharge portable air conditioners, as they will have to modify the way that your unit functions.
Moreover, they will locate the source of the leak before the repair can take place.
How to know if your air conditioner is running low on refrigerant
Some of the most common telltale signs that your air conditioner may be leaking refrigerant, include:
- Your unit is releasing room-temperature air
- Your unit is making a hissing or bubbling noise
- The coils on your unit have iced over
Portable air conditioners do not have service valves
Since portable air conditioners usually come as one, compact unit, these machines typically do not include a service valve.
Hence, you will not be able to use any kind of Freon recharging kit on your LG portable air conditioner, as you will not have access to the closed system without inserting your own valve.
Consider all of your options
If you are sure that your LG portable air conditioner is leaking refrigerant, it is worth comparing a few different quotes for this kind of repair, to the price of a replacement LG portable air conditioner.
LG currently has options ranging from $329 to $719, which may be an entirely cheaper and easier option than a professional repair.