There are several Air Conditioner problems that can be ignored for months and your system will still continue to cool you off. But there are others that are relatively serious and need to be quickly fixed else the entire system comes at a risk of sudden breakdown. One such serious Air Conditioner issue is the refrigerant leak. Though a refrigerant leak could be very small, it still has the potential to turn the system completely off as the refrigerant starts to finish.
Refrigerant basically is a gas usually Freon. This gas helps cool the air during the refrigeration process and it is because of this refrigerant that the Air Conditioner is able to cool your indoor. When the refrigerant leaks, the system's capacity to cool the air lowers and eventually diminishes as the refrigerant finishes. The unit if run without refrigerant can burn the entire system. So it is important for you to keep an eye on refrigerant leaks.
Causes of refrigerant leaks
There are some common causes of refrigerant leaks some of which are wear and tear, chemical reactions on the refrigerant lines overtime, vibrations, loose joints and copper corrosion. These causes the refrigerant lines to create holes or leaks allowing the refrigerant to leaks through them.Signs of refrigerant leaks
Since refrigerant leaks could be fatal for your system, it is, therefore, important to keep a check on the refrigerant level. A maintenance tech can help you with this on his maintenance visit but there are some other easily observable signs that can help you detect refrigerant leaks.- If your system is losing its cooling efficiency and takes longer to cool the indoor, it is an indication of refrigerant leaks
- The register check is a quick check to see if the system is cooling the air properly. Just go a little closer to the supply registers and place your face or hand in front of it. Feels cool? No? The refrigerant might be leaking.
- Sounds like hissing or gurgling are also among the indications of a refrigerant leak
- The ice build-up on evaporator coils is also an easy to observe indication that the refrigerant/coolant might be leaking.
Preventive Measures
Note: It is important to get the coolant/refrigerant level checked every season. If there's a 10% loss of the coolant, it will raise the energy cost up to 20% and will also burden the system.Solutions to fix AC refrigerant leak problems
There's only one thing that you can do in order to fix the leaks and that is calling a professional to repair the leak and refill the refrigerant. It is highly recommended to not perform any DIY's in this situation. Also, please remember that straight away refilling of the refrigerant is not the right solutions for leaks. The right way is to first fix the leaks and then get the refrigerant refilled else the newly filled refrigerant will again leak through the leaks.HVAC appliances are costly appliances. The better preventive measures you take, the longer they will last to comfort you with optimal efficiency. It is in your hands to keep your energy bills controlled and HVAC expenses least and that is by being responsible with regards to your HVAC appliances.