Is Your AC Leaking Refrigerant?
Take a second to turn off the appliances in your home. Once things are quiet and the only thing running is your air conditioner, we want you to start listening very carefully. Do you hear a hissing and/or bubbling noise? If you do, then you likely need to call us for help because your air conditioner is leaking refrigerant.
If your AC isn’t making that noise, that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear yet. AC refrigerant leaks can manifest in many different ways and it’s up to you to detect when something is wrong. Thankfully, our team is always up for providing high-quality AC repair in Knoxville when you need it.
Let’s spend this blog post going over some of the most common symptoms of a refrigerant leak, like the hissing and bubbling noise we mentioned earlier. If any of these sound familiar, make sure you call our team to get these problems addressed.
Why Refrigerant Leaks Happen in the First Place
Refrigerant leaks are not normal and should be repaired, but we’re used to seeing them occur in air conditioners. Think about it this way—your AC’s compressor keeps refrigerant pressurized pretty much at all times. The pressurized refrigerant is either a gas or a liquid, and thus it can absorb heat or disperse the heat depending on the direction it is flowing.
As the refrigerant is a gas, it will absorb heat from your home, essentially cooling the air. Then when it’s liquid, it will disperse the heat outside, so that the heat goes where it won’t be felt by you. As this cycle continues over and over, eventually there’s a possibility that the pressure and weathering on the refrigerant lines could lead to a small hole or leak developing.
Once this happens, it’s only a matter of time before your system starts to deteriorate.
Detecting a Refrigerant Leak
Here are just a few ways you can detect a refrigerant leak in your air conditioner.
- It’s Losing Efficiency: Efficiency is important for your budget and your comfort. The longer you let your air conditioner run without enough refrigerant, the more you’re paying in operating costs.
- It Doesn’t Cool your Home: An air conditioner relies on refrigerant in order to cool the space in your home. As refrigerant leaks out of it, it will be unable to meet your temperature demands and you’ll feel less comfortable every day.
- You’re Smelling Something Strange: When refrigerant leaks from your air conditioner, it can sometimes be detected by a sweet, chloroform-like smell. This is bad and can be detrimental to your respiratory health.
- Your System is Starting to Break Down: As refrigerant leaks out, your AC will start running into more problems until it eventually breaks down.
We Can Help!
If any of those points sound familiar, then you’re going to need help. Luckily, our team is experienced with refrigerant leaks to the point where we can patch them and provide fast repairs at an affordable price.
Call Fannon & Sons Heating Cooling today for quality AC services. Welcome to the Family!
