3 Signs Your Heat Pump Has a Refrigerant Leak in Celebration, FL

Whether they heat or cool your home in Celebration, FL, heat pumps need refrigerant to be effective. Since refrigerant is also toxic, it’s deeply important to know whether it’s leaking from your system. Here are three signs that could indicate your heat pump has a refrigerant leak.

1. Poor Performance

During a standard heating or cooling cycle, refrigerant travels to your heat pump’s evaporator coils, where it absorbs heat from the air and then moves to the compressor. The compressor heats and pressurizes the refrigerant further, making it condensable. Finally, the refrigerant goes to the condenser coils and releases its heat.

In heating mode, the outdoor unit will act as the evaporator coil, and the indoor unit will act as the the condenser coil. If your system loses refrigerant, it won’t be able to carry out this process effectively, and its performance will suffer. You may also start seeing odd behavior, like short cycling or nearly constant operation.

Of course, many other things may cause inadequate heat pump performance. To minimize the risk of running into such issues, make sure to schedule professional-grade maintenance at least twice per year.

2. Hissing or Bubbling Sounds

If refrigerant leaks out of your heat pump while it’s in gaseous form, you’ll probably hear a hissing sound. When air flows in to displace the refrigerant that you’ve lost, you may also hear bubbling noises. The movement of gas causes the former noise, and the formation of air bubbles creates the latter.

3. An Ether-Like Smell

A sweet, etherlike smell coming from your heat pump can also be a sign that you have refrigerant leak. HVAC refrigerant is toxic, so turn off your system and call for professional help if you detect this smell.

If you don’t do anything in response to a refrigerant leak, your heat pump won’t be able to make your home comfortable and may ultimately sustain severe damage as it tries to do so. Call Osceola Air and sign up for HVAC services today.

Image provided by iStock