Cost to service central air conditioner.

We currently have a Carrier air conditioner in our home that is 26 years old. It still operates well except it has a minor leak in the system somewhere and we have to have the freon serviced (they have to add a little to the system) every couple of years. I know all of the negatives of the old style freon and the cost involved with handling it but I am having a little problem justifying the price I was charged to have the system serviced. The technician topped the freon off and said he added a dye (to detect leaks later if requested) and charged me $338.00. I'm I off base or does this seem rather high for this type of service? I live in Springfield, IL. Thanks.

Freon (R-22) sells for about $40 a pound and service call labor about $95 an hour. The amount needed would depend on the size of the unit and how much had been lost.

If you subtract $95 for one hour labor and divide the remainder by 40, that would be about 6 pounds of Freon. If you have the information that came with the unit, look at the freon capacity. That will give you a rough idea of whether the price is high or not.