You are never supposed to need refrigerant in your AC system. It’s true!
All refrigerant does is circulate from the outdoor to the indoor evaporator, and that’s it. It doesn’t go anywhere else, and it lasts a long, long, long time. We have many customers with 25-year-old systems who have never needed any refrigerant added, because that’s the way it’s supposed to work.
What a Refrigerant Loss Means
So if you have a refrigerant loss, that means you have a leak somewhere. We have to find that leak to determine our next steps. We have instruments that find leaks. Refrigerant is oily, so where we find oil, that’s usually our leak.
If You Do Have a Leak
If your system is pretty old, and if we can tell from its history that it has a low leakage rate, sometimes we can use a sealant to plug the leak and get a couple more years out of that system.
The Evaporator Coil
In most cases, probably 95% of the time, the leaks are in the evaporator coil. Your evaporator coil is in the attic or inside the house. It’s the part that gets cold. There are a lot of brace points there. The evaporator coil makes water, so there’s corrosion and vibration, both things that will help metal to break down.
Unfortunately, evaporator coil leaks can usually not be repaired. The component has to be replaced. In fact, in nearly all of the cases where there is a significant refrigerant leak, we have to replace the component, usually the evaporator.
Your Next Step
It’s hot out! Are you comfortable in your home this summer?
If not, give us a call at (972) 423-1279.