Pittsburgh, PA Air Conditioning Repair Tip: Spotting a Refrigerant Leak

The level of refrigerant that circulates through your compressor, coils, and expansion valve is vital to the effectiveness and energy efficiency of your air conditioning system, no matter what type it is. You simply cannot expect your home to stay cooling during the summer months without the correct refrigerant charge. In today’s post, we’d like to examine this issue a bit more closely.

Because your system does not expend refrigerant during the cooling cycle, there are really only two reasons why it is low. Either it was not installed with the correct amount of refrigerant to begin with, or it has developed a leak, due to either a puncture or corrosion. Let’s take a look at a few signs indicating you may have a refrigerant leak:

• Inadequate cooling: One of the most common indications that you have a refrigerant leak, and thus low levels of refrigerant, is inadequate cooling. If you recognize a drop-off in your system’s ability to keep your home cool, then it may not have enough refrigerant to complete the cycle effectively. .
• Warm air: If you feel warm air coming through the ductwork and you’re calling for cooling, then you know something is not right. One of the causes behind that warm air could be low levels of refrigerant. Your condenser coils simply cannot be effective if there is not enough refrigerant. Likewise for your indoor evaporator coils, which are responsible for cooling your air.
• Hissing sound: Do you hear a hissing sound at or near your AC components? If so, the sound you might be hearing is not air but gaseous refrigerant. Not only is this harmful to the environment, but it can be devastating to your cooling performance and energy efficiency.

Call Boehmer Heating & Cooling today should you have any issues with your AC’s refrigerant level. We can assist with all of your air conditioning repair needs in Pittsburgh, PA.