HollyB83 said:
At 8 pm, while set on 78 it's 85. Assuming & hoping for a very small R22 leak.
Holly,
Unless you're certain you've got a refrigerant leak, I might suggest you check a couple of things, if you already haven't.
1. On the outside unit, is the compressor running? Note, the compressor makes a deep, almost humming noise while its running. It is NOT the outside fan.
2. On the outside unit, is the fan running, and running the entire time the compressor is?
If the answer to either of those questions is 'no', you may have a very inexpensive electrical problem which can be fixed fairly quickly and easily (e.g. - contactor, capacitor, fan motor)
If the answer to both of those questions is 'yes', you may have a leak, which, unless it is very very small, will need to be repaired. In most cases (not all), the leak is in the evaporator coil, which is inside your inside air handler unit.
Given that the A/C guys are in their busy time of year, they won't cut you any breaks on replacing the coil right now, so be prepared to pay $1,200 - $2,000 to have it changed out, including the refrigerant.
Regarding R-22 Freon - the current bulk price is about $15/lb in 30lb bottles, and you would need EPA certification to purchase it legally, and some training and a few tools to install it correctly.
The reason contractors mark it up so much is because it's not cheap to send guys out in trucks to do A/C work.
But, there's a difference between shaving a man, which you can do every day, and scalping him, which you can only do once. Knowing that the raw materials cost/lb is $15, make sure you don't get scalped, and don't jump into buying an expensive, brand new system if all you want is a repair to your existing system.
Good luck.