4 Reasons Your Air Conditioner Is Leaking Refrigerant

2 August 2021
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To keep your home cool, your air conditioning unit depends upon refrigerant. Refrigerant is a substance that runs through the copper coils inside of your air conditioning unit. The refrigerant is what allows your home to cool down. It is self-contained within your system and isn't something you need to replenish or refill if your system is working correctly.

Your home will give you signs that the refrigerant is leaking. You will see ice on the evaporator coils as the coil becomes too cold. It will take longer for your house to cool down and eventually, your system will start to blow warm or hot air instead of cool air. Your system may also short cycle, and your electric bill will run high. These can all be signs that your unit is leaking refrigerant.

Reason #1: Erosion

One of the most common reasons that refrigerant leaks out of your system is the erosion of your system's metal components. This corrosion is caused by formic acid that makes tiny holes in the metal components to your system over time. These corrosion holes will allow refrigerant to leak out of your system. With erosion, if caught soon enough, you may be able just to replace the damaged components of the systems. If the corrosion is too far spread, though, you are going to need to replace your air conditioning unit.

Reason #2: Age

Refrigerant may also start to leak due to the age of the system. The refrigerant in your system circulates through the unit and is propelled with high pressure. All of that pressure can eventually wear down the tubing that the refrigerant runs through over the years. The connections that support that tubing can also wear down.

If your system is on the older side, the parts that support the refrigerant in the system may have just worn down.

Reason #3: Vibrations

An air conditioning system may be solid, but it experiences vibrations that run through the system as it is operating. Over time, those vibrations may loosen or damage parts, such as connectors, which can result in your system leaking refrigerant.

Reason #4: Installation Issues

Fourth, if your unit is new and it is leaking refrigerant, it may not have been installed correctly. This can be determined by checking the soldering in the system with nitrogen to see if the system wasn't correctly installed.

If your system is showing signs that it is leaking refrigerant, you will want to get a technician to repair it. You may have damaged or worn-out components on your system that need to be replaced, which an air conditioning technician can take care of.

For more information, contact AC repair services in your area.