Your air conditioner might operate for years and never have a refrigerant leak. However, leaks are always possible, and the risk increases the older your equipment gets. Here's a look at four causes of refrigerant leaks and the repairs that might be needed.
1. Leaks Due To Age And Wear
The refrigerant in your AC flows through lines that connect two sets of coils. One of the coils is outside in the condenser, and the other is indoors. The refrigerant system isn't a single piece. Instead, it's built with copper tubing, connections, and rubber seals.
Rubber deteriorates with age, and when it cracks, refrigerant starts leaking. The air conditioning repair technician can fix this problem by putting in new O-rings or seals. Connections might get loose due to vibrations, and when they do, refrigerant might leak out. This is an easy problem to fix since the technician just has to tighten the connections.
2. Leaks Due To Corrosion
Corrosion is a common reason for refrigerant leaks, especially in older equipment. Copper lines get pinhole leaks in them due to corrosion from chemical exposure. The exposure could be due to building materials in your home, especially formaldehyde. It might be possible to repair a pinhole leak, but if the entire system has scattered pinhole leaks, then it might be necessary to replace one or both sets of coils and the connecting lines.
Since replacing the coils and lines is an expensive air conditioning repair, you might consider replacing your air conditioner if it's old, rather than spend a lot of money on repairs.
3. Leaks Due To Damage
The condenser coil and lines are protected by the condenser cage, but the lines can still be damaged. This might happen due to impacts during a storm or an accident when working around the condenser. A broken line can often be repaired. An air conditioning repair technician can even replace the condenser coil if necessary.
If you break a copper refrigerant line with a shovel or in another way, stay away from the AC and call an air conditioning repair service. AC refrigerant is a health hazard, and it's also unsafe for the environment, so you don't want to handle or breathe in the fumes.
4. Leaks Due To Faulty Equipment
When your AC is first installed, the technician checks the pressure in the refrigerant lines to make sure there are no leaks. However, if a part is defective, your new HVAC could start leaking shortly after it's installed. If so, the parts may still be under warranty, so call an air conditioning repair service to find out why the refrigerant is leaking and what repairs should be done considering what the warranty will cover.
Share16 April 2021
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