Leak Detection in Eden PrairieRefrigerant is what runs inside of your AC system in order to help keep your air cool. We all depend on this during a hot summer’s day in order to bring down the ambient temperature so that we can relax without sweating through our clothes and sleep better at night.
If you notice that your home isn’t as cool as it should be, or that it is taking longer than usual to get to the correct temperature, then this might point to a problem with your AC system. And while there are many potential issues that can plague your system, the most likely culprit in many instances is an AC system refrigerant leak.
The problem is that this can also lead to a number of other problems. Not only is refrigerant crucial to the operation of your heating and cooling, but it is also a toxic substance that can harm your health. For this reason, it is important to be able to diagnose the problem quickly, and to obtain the aid of a professional as soon as possible.
Here are three signs that you may have an AC system refrigerant leak.
No Cool Air
As we already mentioned, the first thing that might clue you into the existence of some kind of problem, is that your home isn’t as cool as you would expect it to be. This can still have a number of different causes though, so we need to investigate a little further.
Hold your hand over the registers, which is the technical lingo for vents. If you feel no air or reduced air compared to normal, then you have another issue on your hands. If however the air is blowing but it isn’t cool, then there is a strong chance that this is an issue with your refrigerant.
Hissing Sound
At the same time, you should take the opportunity to put your ear to the system. If you can hear a hissing noise, then again this might point to refrigerant leak. That hissing noise is caused by air escaping through a crack in the system. If this crack happens to be in the coils that are responsible for circulating refrigerant, then of course it is likely that the substance will be spilling out.
Of course, this could also mean a problem elsewhere in your system, which is why you should also look for the next issue.
Frozen Coils
Speaking of those coils, you might also be able to see that they have actually frozen slightly. That’s because the coils will no longer be able to absorb heat properly, and this in turn can then cause the condensation on the coils to freeze over. Sometimes you might be able to see it actually drip onto the floor as it melts, but if not it will look as though the coil has frosted over.
This might be an alarming sight and it can lead to a complete breakdown if you don’t get it repaired quickly. Get in touch with an AC repair professional as soon as possible then if you notice any of these issues.
