Uncomfortable at Home? Your AC May Be Low on Refrigerant

Does this sound familiar?

Your central AC is blowing air into your home just fine. But sometimes the air isn’t very cool... lukewarm even. You’re a bit sweaty and uncomfortable at home and you wonder why this is happening despite the AC running fine.

If that scenario strikes a nerve, your AC may be low on refrigerant, a heat transfer liquid your AC needs to cool your home. 

You will need an air conditioning repair technician to inspect the issue further.

Low refrigerant charge usually means you have a refrigerant leak (refrigerant isn’t used up like gas in a car). And allowing your AC to run like this can damage it severely.

So, how do you know if you’re actually low on refrigerant? Check for these signs.

Is your AC is running constantly, and you’re still not comfortable?

That means your AC is struggling to cool your home because it can’t absorb enough heat from your home’s air due to a lack of refrigerant.

Think of it like using a holey bucket to shovel water out of a canoe that’s constantly taking on water.

Related to #1, if your AC is running constantly then it’s no surprise that your utility bills will skyrocket.

Your AC’s indoor unit has a cold evaporator coil that cools down your home’s air. However, if you’re low on refrigerant, the evaporator coil gets too cold, freezing condensation that’s clinging to the coil.

Keep in mind, a frozen coil can be caused by other issues, like a dirty air filter.

Any of these noises means you have a serious refrigerant leak. Hissing means the refrigerant is escaping in gas form; bubbling, liquid form.

If you’ve seen many of the above signs, call an AC technician for help.

But don’t let the tech just add more refrigerant. They need to find the refrigerant leak, fix it (if possible), THEN add more refrigerant,

Also, if you see ice/frost on the indoor coil, protect your AC by doing this:

1. Turn off your AC
2. Turn the fan setting to “ON” (this will melt the frost on the coil.

Schedule service online and save 10% on your AC repair.

Advanced Air has been serving Fort Myers and Naples, Florida, and the surrounding areas for over 25 years.