Now that it’s the middle of summer, you’re relying on your air conditioner more than ever. Like any other equipment in your home, your air conditioner will malfunction from time to time. Having that said, one of the common problems that you might encounter with your air conditioner is a refrigerant leak. Here are four warning signs of a refrigerant leak:
Air conditioner blows warm air
When your refrigerant is low, the air coming from your registers will not be cooled efficiently. If your air conditioner is blowing warm air, it’s possible that you have a refrigerant leak.
Increased energy bills
Have your energy bills gotten higher? Your air conditioner might be to blame. When your air conditioner is losing refrigerant, it needs to run longer and work harder to keep your home cool, leading to higher energy bills.
Icy evaporator coils
Another sign of a refrigerant leak is ice build-up on the evaporator coils. When your HVAC system does not have enough refrigerant, the evaporator coils cannot absorb enough heat. This causes condensation to build up on the coils and freeze over.
You hear hissing sounds
A refrigerant leak is caused by holes in the refrigerant lines. You may hear a hissing sound as refrigerant leaks from these holes. Given that, be sure to keep your ears open.
What to do when you suspect a leak
It’s important to note that your air conditioner should not normally lose refrigerant. Your unit always contains the same amount of refrigerant when it’s operating properly. The refrigerant is not used up the way an automobile uses gas and refilling the refrigerant will not solve the problem if you have a leak.
Exposure to refrigerant can be dangerous without the proper training and experience. If you suspect a leak, you’ll need help from an HVAC professional. We encourage you to contact us so that we can get the issue resolved, and you can get back to enjoying summer!