Summer is winding down, but we still have a couple months of high heat and humidity here in Tampa Bay. You do not want your air conditioning unit to stop working and leave you with no relief from this heat, so make sure you are taking care of any refrigerant leaks you may have.
First of all, let me help you understand what these leaks mean because I see them pretty often. When there is a leak in a coil in your system, you’ll lose refrigerant. Some coils can be repaired, but in most cases, the coil is actually not repairable. We need to look at how the leak started in the first place and also identify if there are multiple leaks. Because coils are fragile, it’s very easy to destroy the coil as you attempt to repair it. If you do succeed in making the repair, it’s very probably that another leak could occur in another coil because the cooling system has already been compromised. In my opinion, it’s usually not worth it to repair the leaking coil.
Let’s look at why these leaks happen in the first place: Environmental factors such as salt water and sulfur water can both be reasons for leaks. If the coil is near either of these solutions, they could come into contact with it, get corroded and start to leak. Rust and vibration from within the unit could cause leaks as well.
As a home owner trying to stay in that comfortable indoor temperature, you are probably wondering how long you have after a coil leak until your system stops working completely. The problem is pretty significant, so it is something you are going to want to take care of immediately. As soon as the leak begins, your system will begin to lose efficiency as well as the ability to pull properly. The system could stop working altogether. The pressure in your system will drop, and it will accumulate more ice and freeze up. This can happen from other causes like air clogged filters, but primarily it means that you have a leaking coil.
Hopefully this information will give you a better understanding of potential problems with your system. If you see a sign that you may have a leaking coil, make sure you contact us and take care of it before you experience unnecessary discomfort!