You walk into your West End, North Carolina, home one day and quickly notice the temperature is warmer than it should be. You hear the HVAC system running and can feel that the air vents are producing warm air. Your first thought is, “Oh no, this is going to cost a fortune to fix.” Before you panic, you should know that the culprit could be a refrigerant leak. Here’s a look at how to tell whether the AC is low on refrigerant and how to address the problem.
Hissing Noise
One of the easiest ways to tell if there is a refrigerant leak is to listen for a hissing noise coming from the refrigerant line. Since any type of cooling system problem can be dangerous to detect and repair, you should always leave your AC diagnosis and repairs in the hands of a professional service technician.
Loss of Cooling Power
Check the air vents to see if there is warm air coming from the vents. Additionally, if you notice the AC stays on for longer periods of time than it normally does and you’re not trying to keep your home at a lower temperature than you usually do, then you should contact a service tech as soon as possible. Having the problem addressed quickly is vital to reducing excessive use of your AC unit.
Higher Electricity Bills
A refrigerant leak makes it difficult or impossible for the AC to cool your home. As a result, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to constantly adjust the thermostat temperature to a lower setting. This causes the AC to stay on for longer periods of time, which increases your electric bills. If this is the situation in your home, then you should call a service tech immediately. There’s a good chance you have a refrigerant leak.
Contact Sandhills Heating & Refrigeration today at 910-338-3723. One of our service techs can inspect your system for a refrigerant leak and perform the correct AC repair to have your system up and running with optimal efficiency.
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