Refrigerant is the substance in your system that makes cooling your home possible. This chemical is cycled between liquid and gas form in order to pull heat out of the air from your home. Without refrigerant, your AC wouldn’t be much more than an oversized (and exoensive) fan!
Contrary to popular belief, refrigerant doesn’t get used up the way that fuel does. It is cycled repeatedly. In fact, your AC is installed with the appropriate amount of refrigerant to last it throughout its lifetime.
What does it mean when you start to lose refrigerant? It means that you need to schedule an air conditioning repair in Lexington, SC.
Why Refrigerant Loss Is So Bad
Refrigerant serves as the heat transfer medium within your air conditioner. Its job is to absorb heat within the air that is pulled from your home in order to create cooler air.
When your system develops a refrigerant line leak, it allows this substance to escape. This can cause your air conditioner to slowly but surely lose its ability to cool your home. What’s more, as your system struggles with the loss of refrigerant, it will put added strain on things which will lead to worsening repair needs.
The Signs of a Refrigerant Leak
If your system develops a refrigerant leak, catching that leak and getting it repaired is going to be a priority. Here are the signs to watch for so that you know exactly when to reach out for expert service.
- Reduced cooling: Less refrigerant automatically translates to less cooling. If your home is warmer than normal, it may indicate a loss of refrigerant.
- Hissing or bubbling: These are common noises created by a leaking refrigerant line. Hissing indicates gaseous refrigerant is escaping while bubbling means air is getting into the line where the refrigerant is still a liquid.
- Short cycling: As refrigerant leaks progress, they will cause your AC system to short cycle. Short cycling is a term used to describe the shortened cooling cycles that your AC will encounter, usually 10 minutes or less. This adds strain to the system and undermines the effectiveness of the cooling cycle.
- Increased energy bills: Energy bills may increase if your system develops a refrigerant leak. This is because your system will work harder and use up more energy to try to make up the difference that the loss of refrigerant causes. The problem is that, while this will increase your bills, your comfort still won’t improve.
Get Your Refrigerant Leak Addressed Today
If there is a leak in your refrigerant line, you’ll need to get it addressed by a professional. One of the experts on our team of professionals can quickly find the leak in the line and then effectively patch it. But they won’t stop there. You can also count on them to top off your refrigerant line to replace the refrigerant that was lost, and to check that the refrigerant is pressurized correctly.
Schedule your air conditioner repairs with Fulmer Heating & Cooling today.