In today’s blog, the residential and commercial air conditioning experts at Rainforest Plumbing & Air will help you identify signs of low refrigerant and leaks, to help keep your AC running smoothly.
Your air conditioner is your knight in shining armor, constantly saving you from the intense desert heat. And one of its best weapons is its refrigerant. Refrigerant is the medium that absorbs heat from the inside air, leaving you with icy, cool comfort. But what happens when it’s gone?
In today’s blog, the residential and commercial air conditioning experts at Rainforest Plumbing & Air will help you identify signs of low refrigerant and leaks, to help keep your AC running smoothly, and the evil heat monsters at bay.
Rainforest Plumbing & Air has been the Phoenix Valley’s #1 choice for residential and commercial AC repair for over 25 years. Together let’s embark on a quest to find and fix refrigerant issues before it’s too late!
Reduced Cooling Performance
Low refrigerant reduces your air conditioner’s ability to cool properly, resulting in warm air creeping up through your vents. This is usually our first clue that there’s an issue with your refrigerant levels.
Your AC might also start running longer as it struggles to reach your desired temperature, resulting in extra wear and tear with no payoff.
Hissing Or Bubbling Noises
If you’re noticing hissing or bubbling noises, don’t ignore them. This is a telltale sign that your refrigerant is leaking. These noises occur as refrigerant sneaks through small cracks in your coils or refrigerant lines, and makes contact with other components.
Bubbling noises typically occur when there’s a clog or obstruction in the lines. Which could build up and reduce the integrity of the material, resulting in cracks and leaks.
Ice Buildup on Evaporator Coils
No, the Phoenix Valley didn’t all of a sudden become a frozen tundra, the presence of ice on or around your AC’s evaporator coils usually means you’re experiencing a refrigerant leak.
This typically occurs when refrigerant levels are too low, and cause the evaporator coil temperature to drop below freezing, causing moisture in the air to condense and freeze around the coil.
As a result the other components of your air conditioner will start running harder and longer to compensate for the reduced performance possibly leading to premature breakdowns, high repair costs and even full system replacements.
Increasing Energy Bills
Are you shocked every time you open your monthly utility bills? Are you being extra diligent with your cooling habits and it seems like your wallet is constantly under attack? There’s probably something amiss.
As we briefly touched on before, the absence of refrigerant can wreak havoc on all other components of your air conditioner. Causing it to run longer, harder, reducing efficiency and increasing your cooling bills.
Health & Environmental Risk of Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant is a chemical and as a result, can have an adverse effect on our health when we’re exposed to high levels of it. They can even lead to ozone depletion, and contribute to global warming.
As a result, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has passed new regulations that aim to get rid of all AC refrigerants with a high negative impact on the environment. Refrigerants like R-410A are being replaced by R454B and R32, which offer the same cooling performance while being much nicer to the environment.
It is important to note however, that this isn’t always a seamless switch. If your current AC uses these phased out refrigerants, it could mean higher repair and tune-up costs. The new refrigerant offerings often require component modifications, meaning a full system upgrade might be the only option.
But this isn’t always a bad thing! Newer air conditioners are often more efficient, more powerful and run quieter than older counterparts. Plus they come compatible with the new low-impact refrigerants. Keeping your operating, repair and maintenance costs low, long-term.
Think You Have A Leak? Here’s What To Do!
Addressing refrigerant leaks require specialized knowledge and tools, so leave any refrigerant issues to the air conditioning wizards at Rainforest Plumbing & Air.
We're proud to offer 24/7 emergency air conditioner repair, including refrigerant leaks, and our friendly and knowledgeable team is backed by over 20 years experience.
We’ll quickly identify and address the source of the leak, and make sure the components and surrounding area that might have been affected are repaired. Finally, we’ll ensure that your AC is compatible with the new refrigerant regulations before recharging your system.
If our inspection shows that it’s not, we’ll walk you through your system replacement options. We have a large inventory of high-efficiency residential and commercial options in stock, ready to go. We always take the time to properly size your AC unit to provide efficient and reliable cooling performance for years to come.
In the strong Phoenix Valley heat, any AC issue is a serious issue. Refrigerant related or not. No matter the make or model, our team has you covered with timely service.
Preventing Future Refrigerant Leaks
The best way to keep refrigerant leaks at bay is with regular inspections and maintenance.
Our commercial and residential AC tune-ups are specifically designed to get the most out of your equipment, and help increase efficiency while extending the lifespan of your AC. Our tune-up technicians will always go through the following tasks at each appointment:
- Air balancing
- Complete troubleshooting
- Coil cleaning
- Air flow inspection
- Energy efficiency optimization
- Indoor air quality enhancement
When you choose Rainforest Plumbing & Air to help you stay on top of refrigerant leaks you’re choosing highly-trained technicians that are dedicated to providing 5-star service built on our 6 customer service pillars of being timely, accurate, fair, complete, clean and safe.
Contact us today and let’s keep your air conditioner ready to slay the dragon of desert heat.
