Your air conditioning unit needs the right refrigerant level to perform at its best. The refrigerant absorbs heat from the atmosphere and cools the interior of your home with the help of other components such as coils, compressors, and evaporators. Therefore, low refrigerant levels in your AC are some of the most serious HVAC issues you can face. At the first sign of low refrigerant levels, get in touch with an AC repair expert to evaluate the problem and repair your unit. When left unsealed, refrigerant leaks can cause these costly issues:

Low Cooling Performance

Your AC is designed to operate with a certain level of refrigerant. When the levels drop, it will impair your unit from effectively removing the heat from your home. If you notice that your home is becoming less comfortable, or your unit has to run all day to cool your indoor space, your air conditioner's refrigerant level is running low. Contact a professional to check the refrigerant level if this is the case. 

Frost on The Evaporator Coil

An obvious sign that refrigerant is leaking is the presence of ice on the evaporator coil. Once the level drops, it causes a low evaporator pressure, and this causes a drop in the outside temperature on the coil. If the evaporator coil doesn't heat up, the remaining refrigerant will remain cold and cause the moisture in the coil to freeze. Once you see ice on the coil, avoid scraping it off. Instead, switch off your AC and wait for the coil to defrost. Because recharging the AC refrigerant requires some experience, a local air conditioner repair technician is more suited to handle this task.

Broken Compressor Motor

A low refrigerant charge can bring your air conditioner to a sudden stop. The compressor is the heart of your unit and helps raise the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant gas that escapes from the evaporator coil. This helps to create a pressure difference that converts the freon into a hot gas. The compressor motor will overheat and fail if your AC has a low refrigerant charge. When this happens, you will need an experienced AC repair technician to replace your cooling system. Getting a new compressor motor alone and pairing it with an old evaporator will create operational issues down the road. 

A low refrigerant charge can cause serious issues and even lead to loss of cooling ability. When you notice any of the issues highlighted above, contact an air conditioning repair technician to locate the refrigerant leak, seal it, and recharge the refrigerant.