While your air conditioning system is designed to be a “closed-loop” setup, meaning the refrigerant gas shouldn’t just disappear, leaks can happen over time due to vibrations, wear, or accidental damage. When your refrigerant levels drop, your system’s ability to move heat out of your home drops along with it.
At OJ Gas & Heating, we often find customers struggling with a “weak” AC for weeks before realising the system simply needs a recharge (often called a “regas”).
If you notice any of these 5 warning signs, it’s time to call in the experts.
1. It’s Blowing Lukewarm Air
The most obvious sign is a lack of cooling. If you’ve set the thermostat to its usual chilly setting but the air coming out of the vents feels like a mild breeze rather than a cold blast, the system likely lacks the refrigerant required to absorb the heat from your room.
2. You Can Hear Hissing or Bubbling
Refrigerant is a high-pressure gas. If there is a hole in the copper coils or a loose connection, it will often make an audible sound. A faint hissing suggests gas is escaping, while a bubbling sound usually indicates that the refrigerant is in a liquid state leaking out. If you hear this, turn the unit off immediately to prevent further damage.
3. Ice Forming on the Coils or Pipework
It seems backwards, but low refrigerant actually causes the evaporator coils to get too cold. When the pressure drops, the temperature of the remaining gas plummets, causing the moisture in the air to freeze instantly onto the coils. If you see white frost or ice build-up on the indoor unit or the brass valves on the outdoor unit, you almost certainly have a leak.
4. Your Electricity Bills Are Spiking
When refrigerant is low, your aircon has to work double-time to try and reach the target temperature. The compressor will run constantly without ever reaching the “cutoff” point. This results in a massive spike in energy consumption. If your bills have shot up but the weather hasn’t changed, your AC is likely struggling for gas.
5. It Takes “Forever” to Cool the Room
In a healthy system, you should feel a difference in room temperature within minutes. If your AC is running for hours just to drop the temperature by one or two degrees, it’s operating at a fraction of its intended efficiency. This “sluggish” performance is a classic symptom of a system that needs a professional recharge.
Important: Why “Just Topping It Up” Isn’t Enough
Under UK law, and as part of our commitment to quality at OJ Gas & Heating, we don’t just “top up” a leaking system. If the gas is low, there is a leak, and that leak must be found and fixed.
Adding more gas to a leaking unit is bad for the environment and a waste of your money, as it will simply leak out again. Our F-Gas certified engineers use specialised equipment to find the source of the leak, seal it, and then recharge the system to the manufacturer’s exact specifications.
