Air conditioners need refrigerant to do their job: a chemical compound that shifts from gas to liquid and back again inside the system. The process lowers the temperature of the nearby air, which then gets pushed into your ductwork for distribution throughout the home. Theoretically, it’s a closed system, which means that refrigerant levels will never drop. But we live in the real world, which means that leaks and other problems can lower the level of refrigerant in your system. This is a significant problem which can result in further damage if you are not careful. And with summer here in La Habra, CA, you don’t want any issue affecting your system. Here are 3 signs that your refrigerant levels are running low, which you should watch for when operating your air conditioner.
1. Higher Bills
When refrigerant levels run low, your air conditioner can’t generate the cooling power on the same levels that it should. That means the system must expend more energy to make your home comfortable, and you’ll feel the pinch when those monthly bills roll around.
2. Lowered Comfort Levels
An air conditioner with low refrigerant levels isn’t going to be able to cool your house as well as it once did. You might notice that the air blowing through isn’t as cool as you expect or that the air conditioner runs for a longer period of time to get your house to the right temperature. Either way, low refrigerant may be the cause.
3. Frost on the Coils
The most direct sign of low refrigerant levels is frost on the evaporator coils, a sign of lost cooling potential that should be going into your home. Frost can cause a number of problems, including interfering with the remaining refrigerant’s ability to cool your air, and water dripping onto sensitive components elsewhere in the system.
If your air conditioner’s refrigerant levels are low, then call JC Mechanical Inc. today to help!