Refrigerant acts to cool the air that passes through your AC system, so if its levels drop too low, it could put safety at risk and render your AC inoperable.

If you suspect your system has low refrigerant, an at-home test could indicate this; however, for best results, it would be beneficial for a professional to check it out first.

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How to Check Refrigerant Levels

Air conditioning systems use Freon refrigerant to absorb heat and produce cooling. To prevent leakage of this refrigerant, charging and sealing procedures must be strictly observed.

At least once every year, air conditioning systems should be checked for low refrigerant levels due to any undetected leaks that fail to be fixed immediately. Freon levels can decline through minor leaks that go undetected.

Ice buildup on an evaporator coil or copper pipes indicates an insufficient amount of refrigerant in your AC unit, making a visit by an HVAC technician all the more essential. They have special tools available that measure pressure changes caused by the refrigerant to assess its level.

Low Levels

When your air conditioner’s refrigerant levels drop too low or its refrigerant leaks out, its cooling ability could become ineffective and, therefore, ineffectively cool your home. A professional HVAC technician can check and recharge it if required.

Air con experts know the best way to check your home AC unit’s refrigerant level as they are certified by EPA professionals. 

They use special tools to measure both suction and discharge lines to assess whether there is a refrigerant leakage issue or whether its pressure levels are excessive or insufficient – which will enable them to quickly determine if leakage exists or whether the pressure of refrigerant has increased too rapidly or decreased too slowly.

The normal operation involves refrigerant moving from liquid state to gas state within an evaporator coil and absorbing heat to produce cool air; however, when there’s a leak, it will make hissing noises and stop working properly, resulting in hissing noises being heard from that location. 

One way of checking a refrigerant leak would be placing some soapy water near where hissing noises occur – if bubbles appear, then that indicates there could be a refrigerant leak!

High Levels

Refrigerant (or Freon as it’s more commonly referred to) is the substance that circulates throughout your air conditioner to absorb heat and provide coolness. Unfortunately, due to metal corrosion or wear-and-tear damage, its levels can drop over time, necessitating replacement to ensure your AC functions properly.

As it happens, there are various indicators that your air conditioner is running low on refrigerant. Warm air leaking out from vents is one common symptom, and higher energy bills due to your AC working harder and longer due to not enough refrigerant available are others.

Refrain from checking or recharging their air conditioning independently; seek professional assistance. An HVAC technician has all the tools required to identify whether your system has a leak or needs more Freon; they are trained and EPA Section 608 certified, so they can perform tests, repair leaks and test and recharge air conditioner units as necessary.

Purge

Apart from an unexpected spike in electricity bills, another common telltale sign that refrigerant levels have fallen is when air conditioners take longer to cool rooms than usual due to having to work harder at cooling the room at the same rate, thus using up additional energy resources.

You will likely require replacing the compressor to address the issue and prevent system overheating and damage. To remedy the situation, however, new units should be purchased.

Determining what type of refrigerant your AC uses can be done easily by consulting its type plate or checking pressure gauges; low and high side pressure readings should correspond to one another or at least lie within their usual ranges.