Air Conditioner Coil Leaks – Causes and Solutions
Air Conditioner Coil Leaks are a serious issue in your AC system. There may be a time when you turn on your air conditioning system and realize it’s not blowing cold air. Then you notice that the AC is not blowing at all. Chances are that the coil is leaking refrigerant and it is frozen up. Homeowners will google an HVAC contractor, pick up the phone and call their local air conditioning repair company. Some people will call their know it all , fat uncle who knows a little about air conditioning but that doesn’t last long. If you are new to this experience, tell the AC service technician what happened and he or she should have a good idea as to what is going on. You can also inspect the pipe that are going into the unit to see if there is any icing or frost build up. Your technician should open up the evaporator compartment and do a thorough inspection.
A lot of people ask why and how the coil leaks out refrigerant. The fact is that it can be a combination of things going on in your environment and the AC system. The main culprit of a leaking AC coil is that within the system contains refrigerant, moisture and acid build up. These elements slowly attack the metals and eventually causing a leak. Most leaks are small and known as “pin hole leaks”. Another reason you have a refrigerant leak in you air conditioner can be due to poor installation. Some installers are not skilled welders and fail to use nitrogen when they braze in the unit. The air quality in your home can also be a contributing factor. Those elements can attack the outside of the coil causing an accelerated rust cycle. Install an air scrubber to clean the air in your home and fight volatile organic compounds. Also, be sure to have your AC unit serviced and have an annual tune up.
If your air conditioner coil leaks and is frozen, turn off the unit. You can defrost the indoor coil by turning on the fan at the thermostat. Depending on how bad the ice build up is, it can take thirty to forty five minutes to melt on a warm day. The technician should perform a leak detection to identify where the leak is. A frozen air conditioner may also be the result of poor air flow due to a filthy filter or failing blower motor.
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