Is your A/C unit running all day long but with no real use? Is it just stacking up your electricity bill? Then this is a serious issue you need to address. One of the probable reasons for no cooling is low refringent gas pressure. Therefore, it’s vital to know some distinguishing factors that shout your A/C has a refrigerant leakage.

What’s The Use Of A Refrigerant?

The A/C unit runs on a gas cycle. During the process, the gas absorbs heat from your house or room and then dumps it outside. As A/C conducts all the operations in a close unit, ideally, there should be a “zero” drop in gas pressure. However, we don’t live in such an ideal world. Hence, some elements can lead up to gas leakage, such as:

  • Faulty Manufacturing: Somewhere, a mess-up on the production line ended up in a leakage in your unit. Undoubtedly, you will encounter the problem as soon as you start using the unit. However, if you detect the leakage in time, you can get it covered in a warranty.
  • Flawed Installation: Another area where leakage can occur is during installation. Loose fasteners or sharp pipe bents create leakage spots—no wonder why the majority of leakage is detected near the copper refrigerant pipes.
  • Wear And Tear: Over time, the unit’s condition goes downhill, and the high gas pressure is to blame.

Many new A/C units use refrigerant R410A because of better performance compared to R22 and eco-friendliness.

How To Know For Sure That Your A/C Has A Leak:

Little Cooling: Low gas pressure inevitably impacts the performance of your unit. The A/C can run all day, and still, your room stays warm. Hence, such a unit is only good for high electricity bills. You can confirm by judging the coolness of the air coming out of the exit vent.

Ice: When ice forms somewhere where it shouldn’t, it’s always dreadful news. Thus, if you detect ice formed on refrigerant lines, the unit is low on gas. The ice can build all along the line, some of them are visible, and others are not. Furthermore, the ice obstructs the flow of the cool air. You can feel a drop in the pressure of air from the exit vent due to constraint flow.

Noise: Often, the leakage is sneaky, which makes them hard to detect. However, sometimes a significant or major leak can send you some hints. Whenever you run the unit and hear a hissing or bubbling noise, the noise indicates a leakage you need to repair.

Conclusion:

Refrigerant plays a vital role in cooling; with low gas pressure, your A/C unit struggles to comply with your standards. Consequently, low exit air pressure and minimum cooling are signs pointing at a leakage. Therefore, when you call a technician to top up the gas pressure, make sure you ask him to repair the fault. That’s why yearly maintenance is a must, and Crump A/C And Heating is here to cater to your needs. Call us at 281-533-9200 for further information.