A problem that many people encounter with their home air conditioning systems is refrigerant leaks. Even the best regular service cannot stop all situations where refrigerant will leak out of an AC—unfortunately, airborne chemicals in a house can cause a type of corrosion on the copper refrigerant lines leading to pinhole leaks. But regular maintenance can help to detect leaks early so technicians can make repairs before the AC suffers from significant damage or household cooling declines.

Other than learning about it through maintenance, are there other ways you can tell your AC is leaking refrigerant? Yes, there are. We’ll go over the most common so you’ll know when to call us for air conditioning repair in Cherry Hill, NJ .

1. A hissing or bubbling sound

As refrigerant escapes through tiny holes in the copper lines, it will make an unusual sound. Hissing indicates that high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is escaping, and bubbling indicates low-pressure liquid refrigerant escaping. If you notice either from your AC, call for repairs soon.

2. A rise in indoor humidity

Although losing refrigerant from an AC will eventually lower the air conditioner’s cooling potency, you’ll likely notice a change in humidity first. As the refrigerant in the evaporator coil absorbs heat to cool the air, it also pulls moisture from the air. With less refrigerant in the coil, more moisture stays in the air and your home will feel oddly humid. 

3. A decline in cooling power

People are often surprised that this isn’t the first sign of a loss of refrigerant—but it will happen eventually. When your AC starts struggling to reach its normal temperature setting to provide comfort to your house, it could indicate an already significant drop in the refrigerant charge. You’ll want to call for assistance no matter the underlying cause.

4. Ice on the evaporator coil

This may seem strange at first. Why would less refrigerant mean the coil getting colder and freezing over? The reason is that the remaining refrigerant in the coil won’t absorb enough heat to raise its temperature above freezing. The coil will remain cold and start to freeze moisture along its surface. Please don’t try to scrape off the ice, as this doesn’t address the underlying problem and may damage the coil.

5. Short-cycling

This is when the air conditioner turns on and off rapidly over a short period of time. A normal AC cooling cycle lasts 15–20 minutes, with a 10-minute break between. When the cooling cycles and breaks last shorter, the air conditioner is working harder than normal—and losing refrigerant is a possible cause.

6. High energy bills

Any time you see summer electrical bills rise surprisingly high, it’s a reason to look into the air conditioning system as the source. Losing refrigerant forces the air conditioner to work harder and harder to compensate for losing its cooling power. 

Without repairs, refrigerant leaks will eventually cause the AC to break down permanently when the compressor overheats and burns out. Get in touch with us when you think your air conditioner may have a problem and we’ll see the issue is solved fast and right.

Make the Wise Choice, choose the home of the lifetime repair guarantee: Gibson Heating & Cooling.