- Since the job of refrigerant is to cool hot air so it can be blown back into a room, the first thing you will notice when a freon leak is evident, is the unit's inability to cool properly. If you don't notice the leak, you will soon become aware of it's presence as the previously cool room or house grows warmer. Without enough refrigerant present, it is impossible for it to provide optimum cooling.
- A secondary effect of a refrigerant leak on your air conditioner's performance is that the unit itself will operate at a hotter level than before. The reason for this is that the parts of the system, primarily the compressor stay on longer while it tries in vain to force enough refrigerant into the evaporator to cool the hot air. As the refrigerant leaks out, an air conditioning unit can become overworked trying to meet the demands of the thermostat setting.
- The third step in the chain reaction of events caused by a refrigerant leak in an air conditioner is that an overworked compressor eventually leads to a shorter lifespan of the entire unit. An air conditioner compressor is not meant to run all the time. Neither is the evaporator or condenser. When these do, it places a demand on the design beyond what it was intended to handle. A small leak might not be noticeable at first, but a regularly scheduled inspection can reveal this problem.
- Since refrigerant is a colorless liquid, the question becomes how to recognize if you have a leak at all. The best way is to remove the rear cover from your air conditioner and inspect the joints and couplings for an oily substance. This is how refrigerant leaks are made manifest. Since it is supposed to function inside a closed system, a properly functioning air conditioner should not have any oily accumulation.
Inefficient Cooling
Overheating
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