What Happens When You Run Your AC With Low Refrigerant for Too Long?

A refrigerant leak can go unnoticed for a surprisingly long time. In many cases, your AC keeps running, and your house is cool (just not as cool as you’d like). The bills tick up a little, and you adjust the thermostat a degree or two and move on.

Unfortunately, that delay can cause serious damage. Low refrigerant is a progressive problem, and the longer a system operates without recharging, the more expensive the eventual repair becomes.

Stage One

When refrigerant levels drop slightly below the manufacturer’s specification, the first thing you notice is that the system runs a bit longer. Your electric bill is slightly higher than the same period last year.

This stage is deceptive because the system is still functioning. It’s just working harder than it should to accomplish the same result. In Las Vegas, “working harder” is problematic because your system’s going full-tilt for much of the year, which means accelerated wear and tear on everything.

Stage Two

As refrigerant levels drop even more, the pressure in the evaporator coil falls below what it’s designed to operate at. At lower pressure, the refrigerant gets colder than intended, and moisture from the air that condenses on the coil surface freezes instead of draining away. Ice builds up on the coil, then on the refrigerant lines.

A frozen evaporator coil affects both airflow and cooling capacity. The ice acts as an insulating layer between the refrigerant and the air you’re trying to cool, which is the opposite of what the coil is supposed to do. You may notice warm air from the vents, ice on the lines near the air handler, or even water pooling around the unit as the ice melts when the system shuts off.

Running a system with an iced coil puts even more strain on the compressor and other components.

Stage Three

The compressor is supposed to compress refrigerant vapor. When refrigerant levels are severely low, liquid refrigerant can return to the compressor (called liquid slugging), which the compressor isn’t built to handle. That can damage compressor valves and internal components. Running the system with low refrigerant also makes the compressor overheat, since refrigerant flowing through the system is part of what keeps the compressor cool.

Compressor replacement is one of the most expensive repairs out there, and depending on the age of the system, it may be cheaper just to replace the entire unit. All of this could have been avoided just by having regular maintenance (which would have caught the low refrigerant).

Las Vegas Makes the Problem Worse

A slow refrigerant leak in a moderate climate might take two or three seasons to cause compressor damage because the system isn’t running enough hours to accelerate the progression. In Las Vegas, that same leak can move from stage one to stage three in a single summer.

What to Do

If your cooling feels slightly off, don’t wait for a major failure. Those early symptoms are the least expensive time to deal with a refrigerant issue. Our AC repair team can check refrigerant levels, spot leaks, and recharge the system before the problem gets worse. Schedule your appointment today.