As we reach the end of another cooling season, it’s the perfect opportunity to assess how our AC systems are performing. This is not something that we pay close attention to on a daily basis when our priority is cooling our homes. Taking some time now is a great way to detect common AC problems like refrigerant leaks early. The air conditioning in our homes works hard, under pressure and the lines carrying the refrigerant can fail over time. A refrigerant leak will mean that the system needs to be recharged, and if the leak gets worse, it can develop into an expensive repair. Let’s take a closer look at five signs that your AC system has a refrigerant leak.
- Poor Cooling Performance
You may notice that your AC system can’t cope during the hottest hours of the day. As the temperature rises, your AC system needs to work harder. Think of the refrigerant as the blood of your system, circulating under pressure to remove the heat from your home. If there isn’t enough refrigerant in the system, removing the heat becomes much harder.
- An Increased in Indoor Humidity
An air conditioner is designed to remove heat and humidity from your home. If the levels of refrigerant are too low, there will be a loss of cooling performance, and you may also notice that your home is more humid than usual. Some common signs of elevated humidity levels include poor air quality, allergic reactions, and mold growth.
- Evaporator Coils Coated in Ice
This is a very clear sign that your refrigerant levels are too low and your AC system needs to be recharged. Go outside and examine the outdoor unit that contains the evaporator for your air conditioning. If you see ice crystals forming there or the entire condenser is covered with ice, you need to call on a local HVAC company to get your refrigerant levels back up to the correct pressure.
- Longer Cooling Cycles
This can be hard to spot unless you know what you’re looking for, start paying attention to your thermostat and this will be more obvious. You may notice that your AC system seems to be lagging behind your thermostat settings by a couple of degrees or more. There may also be the sounds of air moving through your ducts and vents for abnormally long periods of time. If this happens, you may be experiencing a longer cooling cycle than necessary, as the system is attempting to cool your home with inadequate amounts of refrigerant.
- A Higher Than Normal Utility Bill
If you have not noticed any of the above warning signs and the low refrigerant levels have not been fixed for an entire month, you may receive a higher than normal utility bill. This is a clear red flag that your AC system has low refrigerant levels that need to be corrected. An air conditioning system without adequate refrigerant will be far less efficient, and the longer cooling cycles mentioned above will inflate your energy bills drastically.