When the hot weather hits, you want the interior of your home to be nice and cool. The refrigerant in your air conditioner is supposed to keep the air in your home at a pleasant temperature.
If your air conditioner doesn’t give you the cool temperatures you expect, you may think that the refrigerant is low. However, air conditioners keep refrigerants in closed systems that shouldn’t need refills. If the air conditioner isn’t cooling, then, that means the refrigerant isn’t merely low. It means the refrigerant is leaking out.
Leaking refrigerant can lead to environmental and health problems, and it makes it impossible for the air conditioner to cool a home. Trying to run an air conditioner with low or no refrigerant can lead to equipment damage, too.
Catching the problem and fixing it before it becomes worse is imperative for both your comfort and your budget. If you’ve noticed poor cooling, increased humidity or strange sounds coming from the air conditioner, you need to call an AC repair company now.
Quick Takeaways
Here are the essentials regarding leaking refrigerant:
- Your home’s AC system can’t cool anything if the refrigerant leaks out.
- One of the most common warning signs is warm air blowing out of vents when the thermostat is set to a low temperature.
- If you notice ice on the evaporator coils or refrigerant lines, that’s a sign the refrigerant is low.
- When refrigerant escapes from the refrigerant lines, it can make a hissing or bubbling sound.
- The compressor can become damaged if you don’t fix the leak.
- The only way to safely fix refrigerant leaks is to have a professional AC repair company do the work.
How Do You Know if Your AC Is Leaking Refrigerant?
Leaking refrigerant causes a number of symptoms that are simple to spot.
1. Warm Air Coming From Your Vents
Air conditioner refrigerant absorbs heat from the air. Without adequate refrigerant, the air conditioner can’t remove the heat. As a result, you’d feel warm air coming from the AC vents.
2. Ice on Refrigerant Lines or the Evaporator Coil
Low refrigerant levels also lead to lower pressure inside the refrigerant lines. That lower pressure also lowers the temperature at the lines and coils. As a result, moisture on the lines and on the evaporator coils won’t drain away. Instead, it will freeze quickly, forming a layer of ice on the lines.
3. Hissing or Bubbling Sounds Near the AC Unit
If there’s a small pinhole leak in the lines, the refrigerant can make a hissing sound as it escapes. If the hole is larger, you may hear a bubbling sound as air enters the lines and mixes with liquid refrigerant.
4. Your AC Runs Longer Than Usual
Despite the low refrigerant in the system, the AC will still operate as if it were cooling your home to the temperature you’ve set the thermostat to. However, the lack of refrigerant means it won’t be able to cool the air, resulting in a longer running time.
5. Higher Energy Bills Without Increased Usage
With the AC system running for a longer time and working harder to cool a house without enough refrigerant, it’s not a surprise that your power bills would increase. The leak makes the system less efficient, leading to more power usage and higher charges on utility bills.
6. Reduced Cooling Power Throughout the Home
Even if the system still has enough refrigerant to cool the air somewhat, you’re not going to get even cooling throughout the house. Temperatures may vary from room to room and fluctuate through the day.
What Causes Refrigerant Leaks in Air Conditioners?
A few common causes lead to refrigerant leaks in air conditioners. One is that the copper refrigerant lines in the system can corrode over time. As the metal wears thin, the chances of a hole forming in the weakened material increase.
Another cause is damage from vibration. If parts of the system are loose and vibrate whenever the system turns on and off, that can cause microscopic damage. For example, the connection between the lines and the rest of the system can loosen a tiny bit each time the lines vibrate. Eventually, that leads to small gaps that allow refrigerant to escape.
Two more causes are defective coils and poor installation that leaves fittings loose. Both of these can lead to small gaps that, again, let the refrigerant escape. Finally, sometimes a leak forms because the AC system is old. Parts wear out, not from corrosion, but from materials cracking with age.
Why Refrigerant Leaks Are a Serious AC Problem
A proper amount of refrigerant is at the core of how an air conditioner cools air. When there’s a leak, you have a serious problem because the system is losing the very material that can carry away the heat and moisture that’s making you so uncomfortable.
Leaks lead to poor or no cooling power in the air conditioner, and poor efficiency leads to higher utility bills. Leaks can also lead to potential compressor failure due to the system working too hard and overheating, and the escaped refrigerant poses environmental concerns, especially in older systems that use older refrigerants.
What Happens if an AC Refrigerant Leak Is Not Fixed?
If you don’t fix that leak, you face an absolute loss of cooling, so your home might become unbearably hot during summer heat waves. The compressor can sustain severe damage, and the entire air conditioner can fail.
Whether you opt to repair the system or replace it, you’d be looking at an expensive bill. It’s usually a lot more affordable to address tiny leaks right away.
How HVAC Technicians Find Refrigerant Leaks
The HVAC technician who inspects your AC system for leaks will use one of a few techniques and tools. One is an electronic leak detector, which has a sensor that detects leaks you can’t see. Another option is UV dye testing, in which the technician adds a dye to the AC system and then uses a black light to see if any of the dye is leaking outside.
The technician may also use pressure testing to see if the pressure in the refrigerant lines is normal. One last technique is visual inspection of the coils and connections. That lets the technician spot loose parts and possible spots of corrosion.
Can You Fix an AC Refrigerant Leak Yourself?
Fixing an AC refrigerant leak is something you need to leave to professional HVAC repair companies. There are regulations regarding safe handling of the refrigerant, and technicians need to undergo a certification process from the Environmental Protection Agency in order to repair air conditioners and handle refrigerants.
If you aren’t certified and don’t know the regulations, you risk creating an environmental and safety hazard.
When to Call a Professional for AC Repairs
If you’re getting warm air from your AC (and you’re sure you haven’t accidentally turned on the heater), call a professional HVAC repair service.
The same goes for when you find ice on the coils, hear strange sounds from your AC or hear the AC running constantly without getting any cooling whatsoever. Leave the repairs to a professional for proper diagnosis and repair.
FAQ About AC Refrigerant Leaks
Knowing how to identify a refrigerant leak and understanding what it can lead to are vital for saving your AC from further damage. Here are some of the more common questions customers ask us about refrigerant leaks:
What are the first signs of a refrigerant leak?
The signs you’re most likely to encounter when a leak starts are warm air blowing from the vents and increasing utility bills without a conscious increase in usage. You may also notice inconsistent cooling between rooms or hear hissing or bubbling sounds.
Ice on the coils is very common, too. Less commonly, you may see oily spots near or on the AC.
Can an AC still run with a refrigerant leak?
The motor on an AC that has a refrigerant leak can still run. However, you won’t feel the air cooling down. And the constant operation with no cooling can lead to the compressor burning out, which means you need to turn off the AC system the second you think there’s something wrong. So, yes, it can run, but it shouldn’t run; turn it off and call an HVAC company.
Is a refrigerant leak dangerous?
Refrigerant leaks can be dangerous. They can contribute to environmental problems, and on a personal level, they can make you feel ill. You may feel dizzy or have an unexplained cough or headache. Touching leaking refrigerant can lead to skin irritation.
How much does it cost to repair a refrigerant leak?
Costs for repairing a refrigerant leak can vary, depending on the work that the technician needs to do. Repairs can be simple and cost a couple of hundred dollars, or they can be extensive and cost a few hundred. That’s assuming the work involves repairs and not replacement of the entire AC system.
How long does it take to repair a refrigerant leak?
Smaller leaks might need only a couple of hours to find and repair. However, severe leaks, and leaks that have left the system with damage, can take much longer. It really depends on the cause and size of the leak.
AC Refrigerant Leak Repairs in Pensacola, FL
When you feel, see or hear the air conditioner having trouble operating, you need to call an AC repair service as soon as possible. Letting the AC run when it’s clearly having trouble cooling is not safe for the compressor or any other part of the system.
One Hour Air Conditioning offers fast and dependable service in Pensacola and the surrounding communities. Call us now to have one of our experienced and certified technicians come out to inspect your air conditioner. Remember our guarantee: “We’re always on time or you don’t pay a dime!”