Air Conditioner Not Cooling - Refrigerant Leaks Or a Ductwork Leak is Likely With an HVAC System

Now that the heat and humidity of summer is fast approaching, most home owners need to think about having the home's air conditioning serviced and inspected. Those families which have had a brand new HVAC system installed this year should not need to worry about having the a/c serviced. Most families and individuals, however, do not have a brand new air conditioner.

With the past harshness of the most recent winter season and the taxing demands most heating system were put through, many HVAC systems should at the very least have an inspection and tune-up performed by a qualified repair technician. Through normal wear and tear and exposure to the elements, outside a/c compressors can take a beating. The good news is these components from quality brands are designed to take a beating from nature.

The bad news is when the hardware itself fails, it can be very expensive to repair or replace. However, not every repair or service call will be prohibitively expensive. Some of the most inexpensive services will be to charge the unit with refrigerant or change out air filters.

It is not commonly known to the average home owner, regarding a home's air conditioning system, that the system is a closed or sealed system. Should an a/c repair repairman need to charge a system with R-22, R-410a, or other refrigerant, this most likely indicates a leak. If a home owner has noticed less and less cooling ability, then this is another indicator of a refrigerant leak. Less cooling effectiveness may also be a sign that the ductwork has had some breach, due to poorly jointed ducts branching off from the main duct or an animal has burrowed through the wall of the ductwork.

Regarding an air conditioner or heat pumps refrigerant line, should a leak exist or be suspected, almost every HVAC service company can test for leaks with a number of different methods. The easiest is usually with an electronic leak detector. There are other liquids which are applied to the refrigerant line which allow the repair technician to detect a leak. Whichever method the repair technician uses, the costs can vary greatly from one company to another.

Much like stop leak cans for automotive use, there are home a/c stop leaks available on the market, but are not recommended as a reliably good fix. It may be effective as a short-term temporary work around, until the older system can be replaced. Almost universally, every HVAC company does not recommend this as a good solution for fixing leaks. Damage is likely to occur to the air conditioning components according to much of the published information.

If the leak is found at a joint in the line or a cap at the end of the line, it is usually a simple and relatively inexpensive fix. Should the coil located in the inside unit have a leak, a large expense will probably follow. Coils with leaks should be replaced as fixing them is really not an option.