Central Air Conditioner Freon Leaks

Symptoms

• The easiest symptom of a Freon leak to notice is a warm house. If you are running your central air conditioner but the house isn't cooling, you could have a leak. If the system is low on refrigerant it may not be able to cool the coils that the air moves over to deliver cold air through your vents. In some instances when the refrigerant is low, the air conditioner could actually cool the coils too much and cause condensation to freeze on them. This builds up ice on the coils and will hinder the system's ability to cool the home. It will also cause the system to work too hard and may result in otherwise unnecessary repairs later.

Don't Just Recharge

• It's not difficult to put more Freon into your central air conditioner. An HVAC technician can recharge the system in minutes, returning your home to the cool place you remember. But simply recharging the system with more Freon doesn't stop the leak and the same problems are going to happen again shortly. Air conditioners do not "use" refrigerant like a car uses gasoline. Once the refrigerant is put into the system it should remain there unless there is a leak -- so if it's low, you have a leak. Any Freon leak needs to be fixed. Have an HVAC specialist detect the leak so you know exactly where the problem is, and then get the job done.

Copper Tubing Leaks

• If the Freon leak is detected in the copper tubing, the repair is generally a simple one for a qualified repair technician. Using a torch and solder with a high silver content, the technician can repair the leaky spot in the tubing and then recharge your system to bring it back to proper working order. Sometimes a damaged piece of tubing may need to be cut out and replaced with new tubing.

Access Port Leaks

• A central air conditioning system has access ports where the Freon is injected into the system. Sometimes the leak is at one of these ports. Often these ports can be salvaged with a good cleaning, and other times they are faulty and must be replaced. Usually the access port doesn't have to be replaced.

Evaporator Coil Leaks

• Evaporator coil leaks are the most troublesome of the Freon leaks. If a technician determines that the leak is coming from this area, it may require new parts. It is possible to solder and repair the coil adequately, but it is more likely that coil replacement is necessary.

Health Risks

• Typically a Freon leak is not dangerous to the people living in your home unless they are breathing the gas in directly. Most of the time a Freon leak is not going to cause enough gas in the air of the home to be harmful. Still, inhaled gas can cause irregular heartbeats and palpitations. People with heart conditions are most at risk if the fumes are inhaled.