Freon is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant used to cool the air in older air conditioners. If you have an issue with your freon, your air conditioner can’t cool the air in your home. This is often because your air conditioner is low on freon. If your HVAC system was installed in 2003 or earlier, it probably uses freon as a refrigerant. Since your AC depends on the refrigerant, it is important to keep an eye on your unit to makes sure the freon can do its job. Here are five symptoms of low freon in air conditioners.
1. It Takes Forever for Your AC to Cool Your Home
When you turn on your air conditioning it should be pretty quick to start lowering the temperature in your home. If it seems to take forever to feel cooler when your AC is on, it could be you are low on freon. Since freon is needed to cool the air, if your system is struggling to reach comfortable cool temperatures, it probably doesn’t have enough refrigerant to do its job.
2. Increased Energy Bills
If you notice a spike in your energy bills in the summer when you are using your air conditioning, it could be your unit is not working as efficiently as it should. This is a common issue for air conditioners low on freon. It means your unit needs to put in more work to try and get the cool air to every room to make up for low levels of refrigerant.
Having issues with your air conditioner? Let our professionals at Lambton ClimateCare assess the issue. Contact us today.
3. No Cold Air
When your air conditioner is on the air coming out of the vents should be noticeably cool. If it feels warm or lukewarm, chances are you’re low on freon.
4. Ice on the Refrigerant Line
An air conditioner freezing up low freon is a tell-tale sign something is wrong with your AC unit. Your air conditioner has a series of coils and compressors used to compress R-22 gas that gets hot. When gas heats up it moves through the coils and turns into liquid as it cools.
The R-22 absorbs the heat from the outside air, so it can push the cooled air into your home. The refrigerant lines are small copper tubes or pipes. If you are low on freon, as this continuous process takes place your evaporator coils get too cold so any condensation on the tubes freezes.
5. Noisy Operation
An AC system in good condition should operate quietly. If you notice your unit has become louder or is making new noises, it’s a sign your system is struggling. Refrigerant remains at proper levels unless there are leaks. When there is a leak, the refrigerant escapes lowering or even draining the levels. Leaks can often be detected with a bubbling or hissing sound caused as the freon escapes. If you notice any of these issues, it’s time to call in the professionals.
Is your air conditioner not working as it should? It could have low freon. Contact our team at Lambton ClimateCare today to learn more.
