If a broken thermostat or other issue is causing the warm air, the temperature of the air will probably spike or fluctuate.

Adding refrigerant without fixing the leak may further damage your AC unit.

The water can damage your furnace and compound your problems, so it’s best to have a qualified HVAC technician come out to inspect the issue. [2] X Research source

Adding more refrigerant is a quick fix, but eventually this will damage your unit.

Dirty condenser coils are one of the most common issues in air conditioning. [5] X Research source You should inspect the outdoor condenser unit before every cooling season, roughly in spring, for any signs of debris on the condenser coil fins. If the coil is clogged, turn the power off. Remove the protective grills from the sides and clean the coil with a garden hose. [6] X Research source

R-22 is mostly used in older units and is slowly being phased out because it is an ozone depleting material. [7] X Research source If your AC is leaking R-22, it’s important that you get the problem fixed as soon as possible. Since R-22 is in the process of being discontinued, the price for it has skyrocketed and will only continue to get higher. [8] X Research source

If you get Freon on your skin, rinse the area with water and seek medical treatment immediately. R-717 and R-764 refrigerants are extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs. R-717 is flammable. Handle with caution.

Proceed with caution if you decide to do this yourself. Improper handling of refrigerant can cause injury, death, explosions, and property damage.

Leave the center valve open for now; that is where you’ll connect the yellow hose to feed the refrigerant into the system.

The middle valve is the one between the blue and red valve connections.

For example, the rating plate might say something like “10 degree TXV sub-cooling. "

Since the unit is running during this process, there’s no need to restart your unit after adding refrigerant.

If you don’t feel qualified to do this yourself, have a certified HVAC technician come out to test the unit for you.