The refrigerant is one of the most important parts of your HVAC system in that it is what allows the heat to transfer to and from one closed space to the outside. Watch out for these signs to know if a refill is in order. If you can’t detect the right time, get an air conditioning repair service to inspect the refrigerant levels.

The HVAC Unit Is Always Running But It Doesn’t Cool Your Home

If there is little or no refrigerant in the unit to circulate around the unit, your air conditioning system will simply not work no matter how long the compressor keeps running. You are simply wasting energy and getting zero output from the system.

Your Electricity Bills Are Suddenly Higher Than Before

If your energy bill has spiked even though you are using the same amount of electricity, this could mean that your HVAC is drawing in more power as a result of insufficient refrigerant required to cool the space. The compressor has to stress itself to make do with the remaining refrigerant in the system, and for that it has to work extra hard, using more electricity to do so. Granted that the reason the refrigerant level is low is not because of AC refrigerant leak, this is a fairly simple fix. Simply top up the refrigerant to the required level and see how your bill goes back to normal.

There Is Buildup of Ice on The HVAC Interior Unit

The refrigerant is a type of gas that when it comes into contact with air, will rapidly condense the vapors present in the environment, causing them to freeze. What this means is that if you see ice around your HVAC system, it could mean the refrigerant has leaked outside and is causing condensation around the unit.

You Hear Constant Hissing or Bubbling Sound Coming from The Unit

There is no clearer proof of a leak in the refrigerant line that a hissing sound emanating from the HVAC unit, indicating that the gas is gradually escaping from the pipes, which not only makes it unsafe for kids and pets to be around the unit, it means that your system will lose all capability to perform its job unless the leak is patched up and the refrigerant is refilled. If your HVAC unit is more than a decade old and has not been regularly serviced, however, there is a good chance that the unit has reached its end of life and will need to be replaced, and patching it up will only be a temporary solution.

Water Is Pooling Around the HVAC Equipment

If water starts to condense and pool around the interior or exterior unit of your HVAC, it is a surefire sign that there is insufficient refrigerant in your HVAC to undergo proper vaporization, and therefore vapor is starting to condense around the fins, dripping down to pool at the foot of the unit. If this is not treated on an urgent basis, the condensation can seep into the internal circuitry of the HVAC, making it extremely dangerous to operate. Call your AC repair contractor to get that gas filled up right away.

You Used Poor Quality Refrigerant in Your HVAC Unit

Normally a quality brand of refrigerant is made to not require refilling and will last you decades with some regular maintenance of your unit. Unbranded no warranty refrigerants on the other hand might start degrading after a while, causing a shortage in the level of refrigerant circulating through the unit. As a result, the compressor will have to work harder and faster to exchange heat to or from the rooms, resulting in excessive wear and tear, not to mention inefficient cooling. For the best results, always invest in quality refrigerant for your HVAC and get a professional to do the refilling.

With that, we hope you are now aware how important it is that your HVAC refrigerant level is always topped up and what are all the signs that indicate it is time to call a professional to get it checked. There is a good chance that the longer you wait to get the inspection done, the worse the situation will become and you may have to end up paying through the teeth for what was initially just a simple patch up and refilling job. So do the smart thing and call an expert HVAC contractor Chantilly today.