Gas top-up can restore cooling temporarily, but repeated top-ups without cause verification often lead to repeat spend. The right path depends on whether refrigerant loss has been verified and bounded.
Primary question
Should I approve another gas top-up, or insist on leak-path diagnosis first?
Refrigerant is not routine fuel consumption in a healthy sealed system.
If cooling improves then fades repeatedly, treat it as a leak-risk pattern until proven otherwise.
In some cases, temporary top-up may be used as a short bridge if full repair cannot be done immediately.
If the same unit has had repeat cooling loss after prior top-up, prioritizing leak-path testing is usually the safer spend decision.
This avoids cycling through temporary fixes that can appear cheaper but compound cost over time.
A practical framework for deciding between repair and replacement on older systems without guesswork.
Use this framework when recurring issues make it unclear whether servicing or repair is the right next step.
A practical framework for deciding between chemical wash and chemical overhaul without over-servicing.
Tell us what is happening. We will assess first, advise one clear next step, and you decide.
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