Low refrigerant symptoms
Air conditioner units in general run on electricity and the magic ingredient we call Freon, the refrigerant. It’s the substance that creates the cooling effect and no air conditioner will work without it. It’s important to recognize the signals of low refrigerant symptoms so you can give the correct details to your aircond guy. Though, in most cases, that is not necessary as experienced AC technician will be able to tell accurately what’s going on.
The top low refrigerant symptoms are low cooling performance, air conditioner blowing warm air, higher electricity bills despite normal usage, hissing or bubbling sound from the AC, aircon not reaching the set temperature and formation of ice on your aircon. These issues are best to be handled by a professional aircon technician.
Here’s more details that you should know about low refrigerant symptoms:
1. Low cooling performance
Achieving the desired cooling is essential as one of the core functions of an air conditioner.
We want to be cool as fast as possible. It is common that when the surrounding temperature is hot, especially in Malaysia weather, it takes longer for the air conditioner to cool the entire room.
But, under normal circumstances, you notice that it takes longer for your AC to cool the room, then it might be one of the signs of low refrigerant symptoms.
Refrigerant is the blood of your air conditioning system. Having low refrigerant will make your AC work longer to achieve the same level of cooling.
This later translates into a bigger figure in the electricity bill.
2. Air conditioner vents blowing warm air
Aircon releasing warm air is definitely not a desired outcome especially for Malaysia home owners.
The weather is already hot and uncomfortable. There are several reasons why the aircond is not cooling enough and low refrigerant level is one of the signs.
Refrigerant is meant to absorb the heat from your home and transfer it outside. The low refrigerant level will cause your AC unable to capture enough what per cycle.
Hence, you will get warm air blowing from your indoor aircon unit vents.
Before giving a call to your friendly neighbourhood aircond contractor, it is best to check the filter first. If your aircon filter is clogged with layers of dust, it can prevent the system from working effectively.
Give it a try.
If after that, the aircond is still producing warm air then it’s likely that it has low refrigerant levels. Only then, reach out to a reliable aircond technician and have it checked.
3. Higher electricity bill despite normal usage
If you’re using every of your electrical appliances in a consistent behaviour, then the electricity bill will generally be around the same range.
However, if you do notice that there’s a sudden increase in the electricity consumption, the culprit could be the air conditioner.
Higher energy usage is one of the low refrigerant symptoms that happens way too much. Trust us, we know.
The coolant is a vital component of the AC system. When your aircon blows warm air over the evaporator coil which is filled with refrigerant, it picks up the heat from the air and carries that heat outside.
Having a low level of refrigerant would mean that your aircon cannot get rid of that much heat per cooling cycle.
This means the system will need to run longer to cool your home. Longer run times basically means higher electricity consumption.
Other reasons why aircon can cause increased electricity bills
Increased consumption of electricity is one of the signs that your air conditioner has low refrigerant. But, it can also be due to:
An old aircond system – Just like everything, aircon will deteriorate over time especially when it has reached its golden age of more than 10 years. The aircon at these times tend to be less efficient.
There are a lot more parts that are starting to give in to the wear and tear of time. This inefficiency will inevitably result in poorer performance.
Hence, your old AC will take more energy to achieve the same level of coolness years ago.
Improper size of air conditioning system for your room or home – Getting the right aircon with the proper cooling capacity is crucial in every home.
Having a low powered air conditioner in a large room will constantly force the system to work hard to meet the cooling level that a consumer sets. It will consistently turn on and off throughout the minutes to keep the room cool.
This increases your electricity bills drastically.
Bigger rooms need higher cooling capacity air conditioners. Period.
Dirty or blocked air filter – This applies to both new and old air conditioning systems. Check if your aircon filter is dirty.
Take it out and clean it if necessary. It’s best to make it a habit to clean it once a month. More frequent if you have a pet that can shed fur such as cats and dogs.
This is one simple way to take care of your AC.
Dirty aircon filters will block the airflow of your air conditioner. Hence, hampering the cooling process of your room.
When the temperature sensor detects that the room is not at the desired level, it will signal the entire aircon system to continue working.
Say you have an aircond system that is still considerably recent, like a few years of age, the size is just right to cool the room without overworking it and the air filter is cleaned regularly, chances are you might have a refrigerant leak.
Calling us at Sol Aircond Service to get your aircon checked will be a great investment in treating your air conditioners right.
We will be able to detect the correct sign of low refrigerant as well as other issues that your air conditioning system may have.
4. Hissing noise coming from the aircond
There’s not much components that constructs an air conditioner that hisses except the storage for the coolant. So, when you do hear hissing or bubbling noise, there’s probably a leak somewhere.
Hissing sound is when the leak happens in the form of gas. Bubbling sound is when the leak is happening in liquid form.
There aren’t many other air conditioner issues that give off this sign of hissing or bubbling sound. So, it’s highly likely that you have a refrigerant leak.
It’s a priority to get your local air conditioner expert and get it fixed as soon as possible. Not only is the refrigerant gas harmful to the environment it also poses health risks.
A reliable aircond technician will locate the leak, remove the remaining refrigerant, repair the leak and then refill sufficient refrigerant back into your air conditioner system.
Do note if your aircond contractor does fix the leak instead of just filling the AC gas.
5. Air conditioner not reaching the set temperature
Say you’ve set a desired level of cooling temperature on your remote and the air conditioner could not reach it.
It shows that it doesn’t have enough cooling power. This condition is one of the low refrigerant symptoms that needs to be paid attention to.
Letting it be will make the AC work harder and longer to reach the set temperature that it will never be able to.
This will be really heavy on energy consumption. Take care of the planet and keep your utility bills low. Save your electricity consumption.
It’s best to turn it off and call an aircond technician to get it fixed.
6. Formation of frost or ice on your air conditioner
If you manage to notice ice or frost forming anywhere on your aircond, this can be a sign of low refrigerant. Ice forms when the refrigerant level is low which causes the temperature to drop way lower than it should be.
This will cause ice to form along the refrigerant lines as well as the evaporator coil.
Try to notice if there is any water leak happening after you turn off your AC. if there is, this could mean that there is ice formed somewhere in the system.
Though, there are several other reasons for a leaking aircon. Reaching out to your local aircond technician will be able to identify your aircon problem accurately.
Other reasons that can cause ice to form on your air conditioner
Closed vents – air flow is important for air conditioners. If the vent is closed, this will hamper the efficiency of air ventilation throughout the entire AC system.
This low air flow can cause your evaporator coil to freeze. So, make sure the vents are open properly.
Dirty air filter – this is a very common reason as to why ice forms on your aircond. If your air filter is blocked, it can reduce the airflow to your AC system.
So, take a look at the aircon filter. Clean it first. After that is done and the ice still forms, then it’s time to call a professional aircond expert.
How to fix low refrigerant symptoms?
Low refrigerant usually can be taken care of easily with AC gas refill. However, if it involves leaking, then a fixing or replacement may need to be arranged.
Do not attempt to DIY the solution to fix your AC. It’s necessary to highlight again that the refrigerant is a toxic substance. It’s strictly not encouraged to fix the air conditioner on your own.
Reach out to us at Sol Aircond Service today. Our air conditioner specialist will take care of all the low refrigerant symptoms for you! We service various areas such as Puchong, Cyberjaya, Bangi and many more.
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