Refrigerant is the lifeblood of every heat pump, the substance that makes its most basic and essential operations possible. Therefore, refrigerant leaks, in addition to being dangerous in their own right, can ruin your comfort in your Dallas, TX home this summer. Here are some signs that could indicate your heat pump has a refrigerant leak.
Poor Performance
Refrigerant flows through your heat pump in a cycle. When the system is in cooling mode, the substance first sits in the indoor evaporator coil and absorbs heat from indoor air.
Then, it moves to the compressor, which heats and pressurizes it further. Finally, it goes to the outdoor condenser coil, touches cooler surrounding air, condenses, and deposits its heat outside.
After this, the refrigerant returns to the evaporator coil and begins the process anew. The amount of refrigerant that your heat pump contains dictates how much heat it will be able to remove from your home per cycle. So, if refrigerant were to leak out, your system’s overall performance would significantly drop.
This can manifest itself in many ways. For example, your utility bills may rise sharply, or your system may overheat or run almost constantly. Since many other things can cause these same behaviors, we recommend scheduling regular maintenance for your system and preempting these issues.
Sweet, Ether-Like or Chlorine-Like Odors
Refrigerant has a sweet smell like that of ether or chlorine. If all’s fine with your system, it should not emit any odors at all. Since this particular smell is so characteristic, detecting it should leave no doubt in your mind about what’s going on.
Hissing or Bubbling Sounds
Refrigerant leaks also tend to produce certain characteristic sounds. When refrigerant leaks from a hole in your heat pump’s refrigerant lines, expect to hear a hissing noise. Also, expect bubbling noises once air bubbles flood in to displace the lost refrigerant gas.
Refrigerant leaks can be crippling to both you and your heat pump. If one occurs, call Quality 1 Energy Systems Heating & Air Conditioning right away to request AC services in Dallas, TX.
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