Your air conditioner function at peak performance during summer must keep your family cool and comfortable, especially here in the Coachella Valley. So, if your system develops a refrigerant leak or if it’s time for a freon recharge, call the pros at KC’s 23 ½ Hour Plumbing & Air Conditioning. We’ve served the Coachella Valley since 1980 and offer a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.
Our technicians are available for emergency ac repair at no extra charge.
Is an Air Conditioner Refrigerant Leak Dangerous?
Most homeowners don’t give a second thought about their air conditioners unless a problem arises; however, some problems are potentially worse than others. With your AC unit, one issue that crops up that can pose a danger to your health is a Freon leak.
Most people wrongly think that Freon depletes naturally as you use your air conditioner, but that isn’t true. Freon typically leaks through tiny puncture holes that allow the gas to escape.
So, if you have a refrigerant leak, how dangerous is it and do you need to call for emergency repair?
Freon is a toxic chemical and can be hazardous to your health to the point of death if you’re not careful. Also, besides being harmful to your health, Freon refrigerant is bad for the environment, which is why the US EPA banned the sale of Freon in the United States starting on January 1, 2020.
So, to answer the above question, yes, Freon leaks are dangerous and you must call a professional plumber as soon as you notice you have a problem.
How to Spot a Refrigerant Leak
As temperatures rise in Palm Springs, the last thing you want is for your air conditioner to break down forcing you to spend time inside sweltering when you should be relaxing. While refrigerant leaks aren’t common, if your HVAC system isn’t providing you cold air, a leak could be the problem.
Here are the top strategies HVAC pros use to diagnose refrigerant leaks.
- Soap Bubbles: Apply soapy water to the area where you suspect there’s a leak and the bubbles will identify the problem area right away.
- Ultraviolet Dye: Dye is added to the refrigerant, and a special UV light is used to detect if any leaks are present.
- Electronic Leak Detectors: These electronic detectors are one of the most popular methods for finding refrigerant leaks because they’re highly accurate, well-calibrated devices that seldom fail to find the leak.
Whatever the reason for your refrigerant leak, you can always count on KC’s 23 ½ Hour Plumbing & Air Conditioning and our team of highly trained technicians to find the problem quickly and fix it to your satisfaction — we guarantee it.
If you don’t think you can get a cool, comfortable home without a central air conditioner, contact us and ask about a ductless mini split AC system and find out if it’s the right choice for you.
Can You Still Get a Freon Recharge?
As mentioned, the US EPA banned the sale of Freon on January 1, 2020. But, what do you do when you’re running low on refrigerant and need a recharge? Does it mean you’ll have to replace your whole HVAC system?
The good news is that air conditioning systems made since 2010 don’t rely on Freon; most new systems rely on R410A or Puron, which doesn’t impact the environment negatively like Freon does.
However, if you have an older system that still relies on Freon, you can still get a Freon recharge from the limited supplies that are available. Once these supplies are exhausted, you’ll have to spring for a new system.
Keep in mind that if you have a system that uses Freon as its refrigerant, it’s already past its prime and you should start thinking about replacing it sooner rather than later.
