AC Refrigerant Leak: Repair Tips For Homeowners
One of the more severe problems that can happen to your AC unit from a performance standpoint is for the refrigerant to leak out. This usually happens because of weakened part connections, corrosion, and part defects. As long as you repair this leak using the following strategies, you can restore cooling performance in no time.
Find the True Source of the Leak
There are multiple locations where refrigerant can leak out when your AC unit runs. Some of the more common areas include the evaporator coil, weld joints, and valve cores. If you know where each one of these components is on your AC system, then perform an inspection to find out what's going on.
A telltale sign of a refrigerant leak is ice buildup. If you spot this problem around any of the aforementioned components, then you probably just identified the source of the leak. Now that you know the location of the leak, you can be more effective with the repair solutions you use, whether it's a patch or part replacement.
Have Professionals Deal With Part Defects
If the reason why your AC unit's refrigerant is leaking out is because of a part defect, then you might want to let an AC repair contractor handle this issue. They'll help in a couple of ways. For one, they can confirm a defect is present and is the cause of your leak—so that you don't replace the wrong part by accident.
They can then find a suitable replacement that doesn't have the same defect. They'll even test the replacement part out to give you confidence that no more refrigerant can leak out.
Monitor Performance After Repair
Whatever repair you perform to fix an AC unit that leaks refrigerant, you want to follow up this repair with thorough monitoring. You can then make sure the AC unit performs great again and no more leaks are affecting the system.
You can come back to the leak source to make sure there isn't any ice buildup, as well as pay attention to cooling efficiency and effectiveness. If your energy bills are normal and the temperature of the air coming from the vents in your home is superb, you know your repair worked.
In order for an AC unit to work great around your residential property, it needs a certain amount of refrigerant. If this substance leaks out, stop using this appliance and figure out a suitable repair fast. Then you can get back cool temperatures in your home.
Contact a local AC repair service to learn more.