24/7 EMERGENCY SERVICE

(202) 636-1041

Signs of Heat Pump Refrigerant Leaks

The refrigerants are crucial components of your heat pump. They are necessary for the heat transfer process to cool your home in the summer and heat it during winter. To keep this cycle, it is important that you pay attention to leaks which reduce the amount of refrigerants flowing in the system.

How will you know if your heat pump is leaking refrigerants? Here are the most common signs that you should pay attention to:

Ice Build-up

The refrigerant is responsible for absorbing heat in the evaporator coil. If there is not enough refrigerant in the system, the excess moisture in the evaporator coil will freeze (this is why you see ice formation inside or outside the unit). The ice build-up will not just hinder your heat pump from heating or cooling your home efficiently; it will also prevent the remaining refrigerants from absorbing heat.

If you see ice build-up in your component, do not try to scrape the ice thinking it will solve the issue. Instead, let the ice melt and call a professional technician for the necessary solutions.

System Inefficiency

Another direct sign that you have low refrigerant levels due to leaks is the reduced efficiency of your unit. If you check the air blown into your home, you will notice that it is not as cool or warm as before. Low refrigerant will also give additional stress to the components of your system, specifically the compressor. As a result, you may experience a failing unit, poor comfort, and tremendously high energy bill.

Short Cycling and Overheating

A heat pump with low refrigerant levels may experience short bursts which they call “short-cycling.” This is not something you would want your system to experience. It can cause the components to wear and eventually overheat due to irregular operations.

What Should You Do?

An exact amount of refrigerant is placed in the system by the manufacturer before it is sent out to the market. There is no way that the level of refrigerant is reduced except with the presence of leaks. So if you have this issue at home, calling an HVAC professional such as Hugee Corporation is the right thing to do.

We provide professional solutions that do not involve a simple filling of the needed amount of refrigerant in the system. We first diagnose the issue, find the leaks and seal them before adding refrigerant. If you need help, just call us!