The refrigerant flowing through the air conditioner in your HVAC system is vitally important to ensure efficient and comfortable cooling in your home. And so, there’s nothing worse than finding out that you’ve sprung a Freon leak. Therefore, before things turn for the worst, you should look out for the common signs of a home AC Freon leak, and subsequently, get help from your trusted HVAC maintenance crew to fix the leak.

Remember, you should ideally never have to refill your HVAC system’s refrigerant unless you end up with a leak. Moreover, a Freon leak can have damaging effects on your family’s health. Therefore, staying alert for the signs of a leak is essential. And so today, we’ll dive into how you can spot and repair your home AC’s Freon leak.

Dangers of a Freon Leak

If the Freon leak in your home AC goes unnoticed for a long time, your family members will end up inhaling a lot of the Freon floating around the air. Long-term exposure to large amounts of Freon can have detrimental health effects, namely due to its composition – fluorinated hydrocarbons. Furthermore, the Freon has no color nor odor, making it almost impossible to detect under normal circumstances.

Overexposure to Freon gas can cause –

• Dizziness and headaches

• Nausea and vomiting

• Breathing issues, especially in asthma patients

• A buildup of fluid and mucus in the lungs

Signs That Your Home AC is suffering from a Freon Leak

Now that you know the dangers of a Freon leak, it’d be best to know how to spot one as soon as there is a leak. Here are the signs you should be on the lookout for if you want to spot a Freon leak before things become worse for your family.

Cooling power is at an all-time low

If your HVAC system’s cooling power is lower than what you would expect it to be, the culprit is often a lack of refrigerant. Without enough refrigerant to absorb heat from the air, cooling throughout your home will be sub-par despite the highest settings on your HVAC system.

Paying more for air conditioning through electric bills

If you compare and notice that your electricity bill is much higher than the previous month without any change in HVAC operation habits, it’s likely due to your HVAC system working a lot harder than it needs to provide cooling for your home. This is a common sign that your system does not have enough refrigerant, and there’s a leak in your system.

The Indoor Unit Makes a Hissing Sound Even When It’s Not Operational

If the source of the leak is your HVAC system’s indoor air conditioning unit, you might be able to hear some hissing noises produced by the leak. Usually, a crack in the coils or a leak in the refrigerant pipe will create a hissing sound that you will notice. 

It takes longer for your home to cool down

Perhaps the vaguest but indicative signs that your HVAC system is leaking refrigerant – if it takes a lot longer than usual for your home to cool down, you probably have a leak in your HVAC system. 

How to Repair Home AC Freon Leak – DIY or HVAC Maintenance Professionals

Once you notice that you have a Freon leak, it’s time to fix the problem. Here, your options are –

• Use a Do-It-Yourself Freon Repair Kit

• Hire Local HVAC Professionals

Using the DIY Freon Repair Kit

A DIY kit is a cost-effective and straightforward way of dealing with small home AC Freon leaks. The kit usually comes with a hose, an effective sealant, and a valve.Connect the hose to the source of the leak, and run your HVAC system. From there, it will automatically suck in the sealant and seal the affected area on the pipework. However, a do-it-yourself job isn’t foolproof, and you will not be able to address more significant leaks that stem from other problems. This leaves you with the other option – hiring competent HVAC professionals.

Hire Local HVAC Professionals

The best way to ensure that your home AC Freon leak is appropriately repaired; you should hire the best local HVAC maintenance professionals. Once they’re in your home, they’ll identify the source of the leak, properly fix it, refill your refrigerant and perform tests to ensure that everything is working as expected. Due to their service quality, you can expect your Freon leak problem to go away almost immediately without any additional complications with your HVAC system. 

Conclusion

And there you have it, everything you need to know about your home AC’s Freon leak detection and repair. To keep your family safe from overexposure to Freon, be sure to keep an eye out for potential leaks if your system is quite old. Furthermore, hire the best local HVAC maintenanceprofessionals to help you fix your Freon leak. While you can deal with smaller leaks on your own using a DIY Freon leak repair kit, it’s best to leave it to the professionalswho offer AC repair services because they will run tests after they’ve fixed the issue. Click here to find HVAC companies offering AC Freon leak repair services in the Texas area.

Guest Contributor: Walter E Bennett