Replacing Sensors on Your HVAC System

Here Are 3 Signs Your Air Conditioner Is Low On Refrigerant

5 April 2017 by Olivia Morris

Your air conditioning unit is made up of multiple components that enable it to regulate your indoor home temperatures. The refrigerant is one of these components. The refrigerant works by absorbing heat from your air conditioner's cooling chamber. Usually, refrigerants are made to last the lifetime of your air conditioner. However, things such as leaks will result in low refrigerant levels, which in turn will affect the effectiveness of your air conditioner in regulating the temperature in your home. For this reason, knowing these 3 signs that your air conditioner is running low on refrigerant is crucial in finding a solution early enough.

Long Cooling Cycles

When your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, it will lose its cooling capability. Low refrigerant means more heat will be trapped in your AC unit's cooling chamber. This means that the air entering your home will be much harder to cool. Therefore, since the air entering your home will be warmer than it actually should be, your air conditioning system will have to run longer cycles for it to reach the temperatures you set on your thermostat. Longer cooling cycles are oftentimes accompanied by a home that won't cool. That is, you keep on setting your thermostat to lower temperatures without a noticeable change in your indoor temperature. If your air conditioner has to work harder to cool your home, you will end up with much higher energy bills so it's important to handle the issue as early as you can.

Icing

When your air conditioning system is low on refrigerant, the heat release won't occur as it should. This means your evaporator coils will get colder and colder, and eventually, you will have frozen refrigerant lines. If you notice frozen refrigerant coils on your air conditioner, you need to turn it off as soon as possible. If you let your air conditioning unit continue operating, the colder refrigerant may end up in your compressor, leading to more problems.

Noises

It is not uncommon for your air conditioner to produce some sound when operating. However, be concerned if you hear unusual sounds, especially gurgling, hissing, or bubbling noises. Usually, your air conditioner's refrigerant lines have a lot of pressure. Therefore, when there's a leak somewhere, the air will escape producing the hissing sounds. Leaks are the major cause of low refrigerant levels, so make sure the issue is solved. The only way to solve your low refrigerant problem is to find the source of the leak and have it repaired. Refilling will be costlier because the refrigerant will simply leak back out again. Contact an air conditioning service like Air Southwest for help locating and repairing the leak.

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