The refrigerant in your air-conditioning system absorbs heat from your home’s air and transports it outdoors. Your AC system won’t cool your home effectively if it doesn’t have the proper refrigerant levels. Here’s a quick look at some ways to test the refrigerant levels in your unit.
Soap Test
This test involves wiping your AC coils or refrigerant line with soapy water. You’ll see bubbles if there are refrigerant leaks.
Electronic Refrigerant-Leak Detector
This device has an indicator to notify you when a leak is detected. It may also emit a sound if it detects a leak.
Calculating Subcooling and Superheating
You can determine whether you have low refrigerant levels by calculating subcooling and superheating. Your system has the correct refrigerant levels if you obtain the temperature differences for subcooling and superheating to be about 5 and 10 Kelvin, respectively. To make the calculations, you’ll need:
- Digital thermometer
- Pen and paper
- Refrigerant slider
Here are the steps you should follow:
- Determine the type of refrigerant in your AC unit, which is usually indicated on the plate or sticker on the AC evaporator or compressor.
- Check the discharge and suction pressure or high and low pressure by checking the system’s pressure gauges or documentation.
- Determine the condensation and evaporation temperatures using the refrigerant slider. Set the refrigerant slider on “Dew” and enter the low pressure to find out the evaporation temperature. Set it on “Bubble” and enter the high pressure to establish the condensation temperature.
- Measure the superheating and subcooling temperatures using a digital thermometer. Measure superheating on the suction pipe before your compressor inlet. Measure subcooling just before your expansion valve.
- Use the data to calculate subcooling and superheating. You get the temperature difference for superheating by subtracting the evaporation temperature from the temperature of the suction pipe. For subcooling, subtract the temperature of the discharge pipe from the condensation temperature.
Only a qualified technician should handle AC refrigerant. If you suspect you have low refrigerant levels, be sure to contact an HVAC professional. Contact Ace Hardware Home Services for all your HVAC repair and maintenance needs in the Dayton area.
