Five signs your AC has a refrigerant leak (not just low gas)
Refrigerant is not consumed — if the charge is low, it escaped. Here are the five signs our technicians look for, and why a top-up alone is money wasted.
Refrigerant does not get used up in a sealed system. If your split unit is low on gas, it left through a hole, and any technician who tops it up without finding that hole is selling you the same repair twice.
1. Ice on the copper line
The thick suction line should be cold and lightly sweating in summer humidity. Ice means the charge is low or airflow is restricted.
2. Cooling that fades over weeks
A gradual loss over a month or two is the classic slow-leak pattern. A sudden loss usually points at a component failure instead.
3. Oil residue at the flare joints
Refrigerant carries compressor oil. A damp, dusty ring at a joint is where it is escaping.
4. The outdoor unit runs constantly
With too little refrigerant the system never reaches the set temperature, so the compressor never cycles off.
5. A hissing sound when it shuts down
Audible on larger leaks as pressure equalises through the hole.
What a proper repair looks like
Trace the leak with an electronic detector, repair or replace the failed joint, pull a vacuum, then recharge to the weight on the data plate. On a typical split system that is 350 to 600 SAR.