The refrigerant (sometimes called freon) is the lifeblood of your air conditioning system. Your air conditioning unit won't cool your home or business correctly without the right amount.
Knowing whether or not your central air conditioner unit is low on refrigerant can be challenging because symptoms of low refrigerant can also be symptoms of other air conditioning problems.
If, however, you think your AC has refrigerant leaks, look for these 5 common signs:
A higher than normal energy bill
Air vents are not blowing cold air
Frost or ice accumulating on your AC
A hissing or bubbling noise is coming from your AC
Water leaking around the AC
👎 Bad Sign #1: High Energy Bills
If you suddenly notice an uptick in your energy bill (called a hydro bill for our friends in BC) and you haven't made any significant changes to how you manage your climate in your home, your AC may have a refrigerant leak.
The refrigerant works by absorbing heat from the indoor air in your home via the evaporator coil. The refrigerant then transfers that heat via a compressor to the outdoor condenser coil, dumping it into the outside air.
If there isn't enough refrigerant in the system, your air conditioner cannot get rid of enough heat to cool your home during each cooling cycle.
This means your AC needs to run longer and work harder to cool down your home. So, of course, longer run times equals higher energy bills.
Other factors that can contribute to higher energy bills:
Aging AC System
If your AC unit is more than 10 – 15 years old, your high bills could be caused by an old system. Over time your HVAC system will become less efficient and will have to run longer.
An Oversized or Undersized System
If the heat load calculations were not performed correctly when you initially installed your AC system, your unit might be too big or too small for your home.
The HVAC technicians that installed it should have conducted a Manual J calculation to determine the AC's size based on your home's requirements. These scenarios will cause your ac to use more energy to meet your temperature demands.
The Ole' Dirty Air Filters!
If the above 2 problems don't exist, it could be down to a dirty air filter. Dirty or clogged air filters will restrict the airflow within your HVAC system, causing your AC unit to run longer.
If you have a clean air filter and your HVAC system is properly sized and not that old, you probably have a refrigerant leak.
👎 Bad Sign #2: Supply Vents are Not Blowing Cool Air.
Your refrigerant works by absorbing heat from your home and then dumping it outside. If you don't have enough refrigerant in your AC, your air conditioner cannot absorb enough heat every cooling cycle. This means that warm air will blow out your supply vents.
Other Issues:
Before calling an HVAC professional to come and check out your system, swap out that air filter. If your filter is clogged, it will prevent your AC from moving enough air through your system.
If you have already replaced the air filter as per the last step, you probably have low refrigerant, and it's now time to call an HVAC technician.
👎 Bad Sign #3: Frost or Ice Accumulating on your AC
You have a problem if you find frost or ice accumulating anywhere on or around your AC. When refrigerant levels are low, it causes the temperature of the refrigerant to drop further than the AC was designed for.
As a result, the remaining refrigerant has to work harder. Coupled with low airflow, you will get ice buildup, especially on the evaporator.
Other Issues:
The Air Filter Again...
Low airflow caused by a dirty air filter will result in your evaporator coil not picking up enough heat and causing it to freeze. You will need to thaw out your AC and get it checked if this happens.
Closed Supply or Return Vents
As per the above problem, low airflow will contribute to the freezing of your evaporator coil. So ensure all vents are open and unobstructed.
If you have checked all of the above and still have a problem, it's low refrigerant. Time to call in the experts.
👎 Bad Sign #4. A Hissing or Bubbling Noise is coming from your AC.
If you hear any air conditioner noise that just doesn't sound right, especially a hissing or bubbling sound, chances are you are experiencing a refrigerant leak.
If it's a hissing sound, that refrigerant is escaping your system in its gas form. If it's bubbling, it's leaking as liquid refrigerant.
Other Related Issues:
Any other issue will rarely cause this, so you definitely have a refrigerant leak if you hear these sounds. You will want to have a professional come and check it out.
As per some of the other problems, when you get ice accumulation during summer, that ice will inevitably melt. This will show up as a puddle near your AC unit.
Typically you will have a certain amount of water pulled from the air depending on the humidity levels in your home.
Your condensate drain line should be taking care of that. If you see a buildup of water, check that your condensate drain line is clear and water can flow through it.
If you have checked all of the above and are still having problems, you have a refrigerant leak.
Refrigerant operates in a closed-loop system. It doesn't get used up during operation. If there's a leak, you will suffer from one of the above scenarios.
If you call a local professional and all they do is top it off without fixing the leak, you will continue to have the same problems at some point.
Not all air conditioner technicians are equal, so make sure they properly find and repair the leak. They should evacuate the remaining refrigerant out of your system, find the leak and repair it, and add the right amount of refrigerant back into your system to ensure it operates correctly.
👍 Conclusion
Don't let low air conditioner refrigerants ruin your summer with high temperatures in your home coupled with high energy costs. Check out our five signs of low refrigerant when thinking about whether your AC is working correctly.
We are around AC units all day long, so we are pretty experienced in AC Repair and know what to look for. So, if you prefer to leave it to the professionals, Vernon Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electrical Services are only a phone call away.
This article was written by Jake Gibson
General Manager @ Vernon Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electrical Services
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