Air conditioning refrigerant, sometimes referred to by the brand name “Freon,” is an essential part of how a cooling system works. If refrigerant begins to leak out of an AC system, it’s a serious problem that will first affect the performance of the air conditioner and eventually cause it to completely break down.
If you believe your air conditioner is losing refrigerant to leaks, what should you do? Is there a way you can repair it yourself?
The simple answer is that you should shut down your air conditioner and call for professionals to come and repair it. You cannot fix this problem yourself for several reasons. In fact, it isn’t even legal for you to repair it yourself, and there’s a threat of injury. We’ll get into the details below, but if you’re ready to call us for AC repair in Hart County to get your leaking AC fixed, please do so now.
Diagnosis
It’s not always easy to tell if your AC is leaking refrigerant unless you can physically see the leak. You may suspect refrigerant leaks because of signs like ice along the coils, a drop in cooling capacity, or a hissing/bubbling sound. But it requires a professional to do a correct diagnosis. There are other AC issues that can cause these problems, and even if there are refrigerant leaks, it might not be the only repair issue and it may have already caused other malfunctions.
Sealing Leaks
Once technicians arrive at your home, they’ll test your air conditioning system’s refrigerant pressure to determine if the system has indeed lost its refrigerant charge. (ACs run on a specific amount of refrigerant that should never change during the system’s service life.) If they find the AC has lost its charge, they’ll then locate the leaks using tools like smoke pencils. After that, they’ll seal the leaks with special tools. This process requires training and equipment you don’t have unless you’re an AC professional.
Recharging the AC
It’s not enough just to seal refrigerant leaks. The amount of refrigerant lost must be replaced so the AC is brought back to its original charge. It’s extremely important that this gets done correctly, because this is the stage where amateur work will lead to major problems and even dangers:
- The refrigerant put into the system must be the right type or it will cause permanent damage to the air conditioner.
- The refrigerant charge must be exact: it cannot still be too low, and it also cannot be too high. Overcharging an AC with refrigerant is a common amateur mistake, and the high pressure and excess refrigerant will eventually cause the air conditioner to break down.
- Refrigerant can be harmful, both to people and the environment, if it is not handled properly.
For these reasons, the only people who are permitted to charge an AC with refrigerant are those who have the proper certification. I.e. HVAC pros.
So if you haven’t called an HVAC contractor to fix those refrigerant leaks (if that’s indeed what’s wrong), we’re standing by with the licensed professionals who can get the job done right.
JN Electrical Temperature Control, Inc works hard to ensure customer satisfaction with custom comfort solutions. Contact us 24/7 when you have emergency air conditioning repair needs.