Beating the heat all year long around Pembroke Pines can be a tough task. Air conditioners work hard to keep people cool and to remove humidity from the air so people can be comfortable. But from time to time, your air conditioner will fail you. When that happens, turn to the experts at Temp Engineering. Refrigerant leaks are a very common problem seen by our technicians. If you’ve noticed a loss of performance in your AC be sure to call us right away. We can find the problem and make quick and cost-effective solutions.
Have you been told that you don’t have leaks but you still have a loss of performance from your air conditioner? See how our evaporator coil services can help.
What is Air Conditioner Refrigerant?
Air conditioner refrigerant is the workhorse of an air conditioning system. A refrigerant is a chemical that is designed to give the best performance for a particular system as it changes between a liquid and a gas. When a chemical changes phase from a liquid to a gas or vice versa, large amounts of heat are either absorbed or released. To illustrate this, think about water in the form of sweat. As sweat evaporates, it draws heat from your body and cools you off. Refrigerants work the same way.
Inside of an air conditioner, refrigerant is compressed into a liquid state and pumped into an evaporator coil where it is allowed to expand and evaporate into a gas. As the refrigerant expands it pulls heat out of the air that is being blown across the coil. This is how air conditioners cool the air in your home.
What Causes an AC Refrigerant Leak?
Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done to avoid refrigerant leaks. Wear and tear are the main contributors when it comes to leaking coils. The two biggest factors of wear and tear that harm refrigerant coils are:
- Vibrations: The high pressure that refrigerant is under transfers vibration. While the moving parts of an air conditioner are engineered to reduce vibration, the vibration dampers wear out and start harming other components of the air conditioner.
- Time: Refrigerant piping is made mostly of copper and aluminum. Over time, acidic compounds can form inside the piping that slowly corrodes the refrigerant lines. As the acid attacks the walls of the pipe, leaks will begin to form.
Quick attention is key to preventing damage from a refrigerant leak. Low refrigerant levels can run up utility bills and cause damage to compressors and coils. The professionals at Temp Engineering can quickly find your refrigerant leaks and repair them.
Additionally, we offer convenient AC maintenance service to help catch these issues before they prevent your AC from blowing cold.
Signs You Have a Refrigerant Leak
Knowing the signs of a refrigerant leak can help you make the quick decision to call for help. If you suspect a refrigerant leak in your air conditioner, you may notice these signs:
- Frozen Coils: Frozen coils impede airflow and cause higher bills. They can also cause damaging leaks as the ice on the coils thaws.
- Poor Efficiency: While you may not notice leaks or ice on the coils that are hidden inside your air conditioner, you will almost certainly notice a spike in your cooling bills.
- Noisy Operation: Refrigerants have their own lubricants that keep the compressor running properly. When refrigerant is allowed to leak, bearings can wear out and cause terrible grinding noises.
- Oil Stains: As refrigerant leaks out piping, it will evaporate. However, the oil will leave a distinctive stain around the leak. AC contractors can quickly locate these. If a leak is hard to find, they can inject a special dye into the system to make the leak more obvious.
Temp Engineering is your top choice for reliable AC repair. We provide high-quality solutions at affordable prices. We always present our prices to you upfront so you don’t have to worry about any surprises. In no time at all, you can be back to enjoying your home in comfort.
