What You Really Need To Know About Refrigerant Leaks In Air Conditioners
Refrigerant is the liquid that allows your air conditioner to cool the air it blows out. From time to time, air conditioners can develop refrigerant leaks. This issue gets discussed quite often, but the information that gets tossed around about refrigerant leaks is not always accurate or complete. As someone who has an air conditioner, it's good for you to know the basics about refrigerant leaks including how to detect and address them. Keep reading to learn exactly that.
How common are refrigerant leaks?
Refrigerant leaks are not uncommon, but they are not terribly common, either. It would not be at all unusual for your air conditioner to go its entire lifespan and not develop a refrigerant leak. At the same time, if your AC unit were to develop a leak, that would not surprise an HVAC contractor.
What are the signs of a refrigerant leak?
You might think that with a refrigerant leak, your AC would stop cooling your home. But that is not usually the case – at least, not at first. An air conditioner will keep working with a small or slow refrigerant leak. However, you will start to notice frost or ice on the AC coil. This happens because when the coil is not entirely full of refrigerant, the remaining refrigerant expands and cools too much.
Over time, if the leak perpetuates, your AC unit may start turning on and off rapidly. This behavior is called short cycling. You may also notice drops or puddles of colored fluid on the ground around your air conditioner. In older AC units, this fluid will be light green. In newer units, it is usually pink or red.
How are refrigerant leaks addressed?
This is not a problem you should fix yourself. Coolant can be dangerous to handle, and leak repair requires specialized tools. Call an HVAC contractor in your area. Any HVAC contractor who works with air conditioners should be able to repair your leak.
The AC contractor will usually solder or weld the coil to seal the leak. Then, they will add just the right amount of refrigerant back to your coil to bring the refrigerant levels up to the recommended range. Finally, they will reset your air conditioner and give it a test run to ensure everything is working well.
Refrigerant leaks do happen from time to time. Keep an eye out for them, and respond accordingly if your air conditioner shows signs of a leak.
For more info about AC repair, contact a local professional.