One of the worst nightmares that can happen during the hot and humid summer in Houston, Texas is hearing your air conditioner run, feel the air blowing but it is not cooling down the house. One of the reasons this might be happening is due to a coil leak.
When a coil leak happens that usually means your Freon is low. When this happens, your AC cannot pull the heat and humidity from inside your home to cool it properly. The bad thing is that this is not the only thing that can happen, your AC unit can actually start freezing up which can cause more damage to your unit.
When it comes to fixing a Freon leak, it can be as simple as just needing to tighten a fitting or replaced a valve core. The worse could be that you would need to replace your evaporator coil, condenser coil, or a copper line set which any of these can be rather expensive.
If you are told by your HVAC contractor that your Freon levels are low, there is a leak. You do not run low on Freon by it burning off or such, so the only thing that can happen is that it leaked out somewhere.
There are a few areas that the leak could possibly be located at, the shipping valve, rusted filter canisters, valve cores, weld joints, or the copper tubing itself. Majority of the time you will find the leak itself within the evaporator coil and some other times new valve cores would be needed.
How to detect where the leak is coming from is your HVAC contractor will use an electronic sniffer. This will help them find the general area where the leak is happening. Some might use something as simple as soap bubbles, so the breeze from the leaking Freon hit it they will get a better idea where it is coming from.
Another option is by using the Black Light Method where they will inject a tracer liquid into the system. Then over the course for a few weeks come back and use a black light to try and locate the leak. As the black light hits the tracer liquid it will light up. This method is nice for if there’s possibly multiple leaks.
There are kits out there for the DIY type people that you can purchase to fix your air conditioner, but it is always highly recommended to contact an HVAC contractor. This is because not only are they certified and more knowledgeable with AC units, but if they run into further problems, they can overcome them.
Also, their work would be guaranteed, if that did not fix the issue, then they can further help you locate the problem. Some things you can fix on your own or maintenance yourself, but with something you have invested quite a bit money into its always best to give it the best care possible. None of us wish to pay a lot for AC repair, but it is always best not to cut corners with our expensive investments.
If your air conditioning system is not operating correctly or is in need of its annual maintenance to prevent potential issues, please contact us today to schedule your appointment. Do not be strand in the blasting heat of Houston, Texas summer without a cool home.
Autumn Mechanical
18812 Tomato St.
Spring, TX 77379
(713) 864-8368
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