A refrigerant leak is bad news for the health of the air conditioner and for the temperature inside your home. When there is a refrigerant leak, it often goes unnoticed until the air conditioner unit is critically low on refrigerant. Refrigerant leaks are very common and can occur in older and newer air conditioner units. Often your air conditioner will give some signs that the refrigerant is low, due to a leak. Refrigerant never runs out as it recycles itself throughout the cooling system. If the air conditioner is low on refrigerant it is because of a leak. Hal Mechanical will share some of the common signs that there is a refrigerant leak in the cooling system.
Why is My House Cooling But So Humid with the AC On?
When the home seems to stay on the warmer side even though the air conditioner is running, often that indicates the refrigerant levels are low. When there is a leak and the refrigerant is low, often the home will also feel muggy and humid. The refrigerant and the air conditioner help remove the humidity in the air as the air inside the home is sucked into the air conditioner unit. The humidity is removed when the air is processed during the cooling cycle. Basically if the home is warm and feels humid, there is likely a leak.
Low Freon or Refrigerant Causing Unusually High Electric Bill
When the air conditioner unit has longer and longer cooling cycles it is because the temperature inside the home haven’t reached the designated setting on the thermostat. This can be due to a number of problems from air duct damage or leaks to low levels of refrigerant. When the inside temperature isn’t cooling down as fast and the air conditioner is running longer and longer, it is due to a leak either in the refrigerant line or in the air ducts. As a result, the monthly utility bill goes up since the air conditioner unit is running for longer periods of time. Low refrigerant will often provide two warning signs: one is longer running time and the other is a high power bill.
Icy or Frozen Evaporator Coils
On a hot sunny day it may seem odd to find ice built up all over the evaporator coils on the outside of the unit. When the evaporator coils ice up, it is either due to poor air circulation or the refrigerant levels are too low. Sometimes when the outdoor unit isn’t running you may even hear a hissing or bubbling sound coming from the unit. When you are hear bubbling and hissing sounds, the air conditioner unit is critically low on refrigerant.
How to Fix Low Refrigerant
When signs of low refrigerant levels are detected it is important to act quickly. First turn off the air conditioner. If it runs without proper levels of refrigerant, the air conditioner unit will overheat and major damage can occur. Contact an HVAC service and report that you may have a leak in the refrigerant line and that the air conditioner system needs to be inspected. Leaks are often easily located and can be repaired that same day. However, it is law that a licensed HVAC technician refill the refrigerant. If you attempt your own repairs you will still need a HVAC service to refill the refrigerant.
Central Air Conditioning Tune Up Maintenance, Repair, Replacement & More in Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Enterprise, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, North LV, Peccole Ranch, Paradise, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, Spring Valley, Summerlin, Sunrise Manor, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada
If your air conditioner develops a refrigerant leak or you require other servicing and repairs, contact Hal Mechanical and schedule our services today.
