Refrigerant leaks can be a nuisance to deal with. They’re problems that can make strange noises, they can impact your energy bills, and they can even lead your air conditioner to start pumping out lukewarm air. For the price of electricity these days, a malfunctioning air conditioner can make anyone’s blood boil, which is why we want to address one of the most common problems that occur in AC units.
Air conditioners rely on refrigerant in order to cool the space in your home. Without proper amounts of refrigerant, what we would call the “charge” of refrigerant, the system might not be able to adequately cool your home to the proper temperature. And, for customers with heat pumps, these systems can also suffer from refrigerant leaks since they use the same type of cooling, just in reverse to heat a home.
For everyone who is experiencing a refrigerant leak, you can call our team for AC repair in Walker, MI.
How Does a Refrigerant Leak Occur?
Refrigerant leaks don’t naturally happen. In fact, your air conditioner is set up with the correct amount of refrigerant that it will need for the rest of its lifespan. If a refrigerant leak does occur, it can come about due to some unforeseen circumstances like those listed below.
- Critter problems. Small critters can do harm to exposed refrigerant lines, especially if they’re located outdoors. This can be a primary reason why refrigerant leaks might occur.
- Weather patterns. Strong winds can carry things like pebbles, sticks, debris, dust, dirt, and other things that can eventually cause ruptures in a refrigerant leak.
- Kids, toys, or construction. Perhaps your kids threw that football a little too hard and it did some damage to the outdoor condenser unit. If that’s the case, don’t worry, it happens. But it can cause a refrigerant leak that is in need of being fixed.
How to Detect a Refrigerant Leak?
Here are a few ways to detect if you’re dealing with a refrigerant leak.
- Hissing and bubbling. Hissing and bubbling sounds are practically synonymous with refrigerant leaks. The hissing is the sound of refrigerant leaking out and the bubbling represents air bubbles forming in the liquid refrigerant line.
- High energy bills. Without the right amount of refrigerant, an air conditioner is going to run up the energy bill.
- Lukewarm air. An air conditioner without refrigerant is still going to run, but it’s likely going to blow lukewarm air through your vents. This can be pretty awful when temperatures are unbearably hot.
Get Your AC Fixed Today
Air conditioners that are leaking refrigerant are running on borrowed time. Eventually, that system will either break down or cease to cool the air in your home by just blowing lukewarm air through the vents in your home. Sometimes, a leaking refrigerant can even start growing ice on the coils of the system. We urge any homeowners to invest in AC repairs if they think their system is the victim of a refrigerant leak.
Contact GRmetro Heating and Cooling to have your AC fixed properly.
