How To Find A Leak In Your Home Ac System

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A leaky home air conditioner can make your life very inconvenient and uncomfortable. While the U.Southward. Department of Energy recommends that a professional technician perform repairs to your A/C unit, y'all tin can speed along the process past finding the source of the refrigerant leak alee of time. Refrigerant is the substance in your air workout system that turns from liquid to gas and absorbs oestrus in social club to cool down your domicile.^[1] Start by locating the refrigerant lines, then use a soapy h2o mixture or an electronic device to figure out where the leak is. You tin can use a similar process to examination your vehicle'due south A/C system for leaks.

1. i

   Look behind your home to see if yous have an outdoor condenser. Check outside your domicile and see if you tin spot a large, metal box. If yous don't come across this device outside of your home, and then your condenser unit is likely attached to your furnace.

   • While you may be feeling the effects of a refrigerant leak on the within of your dwelling house, the source of the leak is likely outside.

2. two

   Check if your unit is on top of your furnace. Observe the furnace in your domicile and come across if there is a modest metallic box attached to the top of it. Look to the left of the furnace and see if a big, curved section of ducting is attached to the side. If you see both of these elements attached to your furnace, then you've successfully located your stacked unit.

   • Check your home's schematics to double-check where your furnace is.

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3. iii

   Find the refrigerant lines in your unit. If you accept a solo unit, place the refrigerant line (or filter/dryer line) by finding a sparse tube attached to a cylindrical adapter.^[2] For those with a stacked condenser unit of measurement, examine the condenser box fastened to the top of the furnace. Next, cheque the lesser correct corner of this box to locate the refrigerant lines, which are a pair of thick and thin tubes.

   • When you're trying to find a leak in an outdoor unit, the filter/dryer tube is the about likely doubtable.^[3]

   Tip: All A/C condenser units volition have 2 refrigerant lines: a suction line and a liquid line. The suction line is a thicker, wider tube that holds gas. The liquid line is a narrow, thinner tube that transports liquid.

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1. 1

   Fill a spray bottle with a soapy water solution. Have about 0.5 teaspoons (2.5 mL) of dish soap and add information technology into a water-filled spray canteen. Shake the container thoroughly or stir information technology with a long utensil to create a soapy water solution. Aim to utilise lukewarm h2o when preparing the mixture.^[4]

   • Lukewarm water is generally around 90 to 95 °F (32 to 35 °C).^[5]

2. 2

   Spray the joints of the refrigerant lines with the water. Find the places where the lines are fastened to the condenser. Once you've located these joints, spritz over them with a few squirts of soapy water. Wait a few seconds to encounter if whatever large bubbles start foaming along these joints.^[6]

   • Although it's mixed with lather, the water itself won't be that foamy when you spray it onto the refrigerant lines. The bubbles that form around a leak are big and distinctive, like a bubble-blowing toy.

3. 3

   Identify leaks by looking for large bubbles that course on the joints. Don't be discouraged if you can't observe a leak at first. Keep spraying along the attachments until you spot some bubbles. A lack of bubbles might non hateful a lack of refrigerant leakage—it might just mean that your leak is besides small to be detected with soapy water.^[seven]

   • Soapy h2o is best for finding big leaks. If you suspect that your leak is smaller, try using an electronic detector instead.
   • If y'all think there might exist a leak in the longer stretch of your refrigerant tubes, spray along the entire line.

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1. one

   Power on your electronic leak detector. Employ the ability button to plow on your device and ensure that it's working properly. Depending on your specific detector, at that place might exist a screen or a series of curved LED lights on the device. To examination out the device, press and drag the extended probe across a flat surface, so you can see if information technology'due south beeping and lighting upwards properly.^[8]

   • If yous don't have an electronic leak detector on hand, feel costless to buy one online or detect 1 at a hardware/home improvement store.
   • These devices have a long nozzle with a sensitive tip that detects leaks and reports them to the main electronic component.

2. ii

   Place the probe of the device at the height of the refrigerant line. Starting time at the end of the line, where the tube is connected to the metal cylinder or small-scale metal box (depending on your A/C setup). To make the procedure more efficient, be sure to work your way from left to right or acme to bottom with the probe of the electronic detector.^[9]

   • Some parts of the refrigerant line may be out of reach. If the leak is in those areas, then the device won't exist able to detect information technology.

3. 3

   Drag the probe slowly forth the line until the device emits a long beep. Hold onto the electronic base of operations of the device and shift the detector slowly. Go along the probe direct, and make certain that information technology's e'er touching the refrigerant line. If the probe shifts too much, you won't be able to get an accurate reading.^[10]

   • Attempt imitating a turtle's step every bit you pull the probe along the line.
   • The device volition emit a steady, short beep as information technology moves along, similar to a metal detector.

4. 4

   Wait for the probe to betoken a leak by beeping and lighting upwards. Keep your eyes and ears open for any distinctive sounds from the device. Listen for a long, loud beep when yous hit a pause in the line. Additionally, encounter if your LED screen lights upwardly at all.^[11] Check all of the refrigerant lines until you've adamant where the leak is.^[12]

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Things You'll Need

• Spray bottle
• H2o
• Dish soap

• Electronic leak detector

• UV dye is a useful way to detect A/C leaks. Talk to an HVAC technician and see if they'll perform this test on your dwelling refrigerant lines.^[13]

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