Signs Of A Refrigerant Leak In Your Ductless AC And The Repairs The Air Conditioner May Need

Just like a traditional central air conditioning system, a ductless AC uses refrigerant to cool your home. If the refrigerant gets low due to a leak, then your AC won't keep you cool. Here are signs of low refrigerant in a ductless air conditioner and the repairs that might be needed.

Signs Your Ductless AC Is Low On Refrigerant

The main sign your AC is running low on refrigerant is when your home isn't as cool as it should be. First, check the thermostat to make sure it's set correctly. Then, notice how often your AC runs. Your AC might be running all the time, but your home is still too warm. This drives up your power bill, so you'll want repairs done before your bill gets too high and before the refrigerant gets so low that your AC doesn't work at all.

Another sign of low refrigerant is when the AC has ice buildup on it. It may not seem logical that an AC can have a problem with ice when the temperature is warm, but that happens when the refrigerant is low or when the coils are dirty. Another sign of a leak is when you hear hissing or see bubbles on a copper line inside the AC.

An air conditioning service technician can tell for sure if your ductless AC has a leak by using a gauge to measure the amount of refrigerant in the system. If it's low, the cause of the leak has to be found so it can be repaired. Then the refrigerant can be filled.

Repairs Your Ductless AC Might Need

A few things can cause refrigerant to get low, but it's important to understand that refrigerant levels don't typically fall unless there's a leak. If a leak never develops, the refrigerant will always be at the right level. One thing that can cause a leak is a loose connection between the lines. This might even be due to an installation error that left you with a slow leak. If this is the case, the connections can be tightened and the system checked again to verify that the leak was stopped.

Holes can also be responsible for a leak, and those can be more difficult to pinpoint. A hole might develop due to a puncture or due to corrosion. Corrosion is a potential threat to the copper tubes in a ductless AC when gas compounds from cleaning supplies and building materials contact the copper. Pits form first, and the corrosion can eat through the copper eventually.

If a pinhole is found in the lines running from the outdoor unit to an indoor blower, the line can be replaced. If the hole is in the coil, either indoors or outdoors, it may be necessary to replace the entire coil. Repairing a refrigerant leak might be an easy job or a difficult and expensive one depending on the parts of the AC affected and the number of leaks.

To learn more, contact an air conditioning contractor.

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