How Do I Know If My Mini Split Is Leaking?
Your ductless mini split system hasn’t been working its best lately. You’ve been getting it maintained regularly, so you’re not entirely sure what the problem could be. You’re beginning to suspect a leak, but how can you be sure?
That’s what we’ll tell you in today’s post.
3 Signs Your Ductless Mini Split Is Leaking
When your ductless mini split leaks, it’s not water that seeps out of the outdoor compressor, but rather, refrigerant. You wouldn’t be able to tell that just by looking, as refrigerant has no color. Even sniffing the fluid won’t be an indicator, as refrigerant has no odor either.
Even if it was water, a leak is a leak, and it’s concerning. Here are the symptoms of a ductless mini split leak.
- Strange Noises
Your ductless mini split, when you first bought it, was worlds quieter than your thumping, rumbling air conditioner. These days, though, your mini split is much more audible than it was. You only hear it sometimes, and the sounds are rather strange.
At times, it’s almost like your mini split is bubbling, sort of like when you boil water on the stove. Then, in other instances, you can hear a distinct hissing.
These sounds usually only occur when your mini split is powered off, so what are they? Those are the sounds of the refrigerant exiting the mini split via the leak.
- Takes Longer for the Mini Split to Cool the House
When your mini split isn’t working at its full potential, it’s usually due to a leak. Your home used to feel nice and cool in 15 minutes, and now it takes at least twice that. You can be baffled as to why if you didn’t adjust the thermostat or otherwise change your mini split’s settings.
Since the mini split system operates on less refrigerant, it’s slower to get your home to optimal temperatures than it was pre-leak.
- The Air Doesn’t Feel Cold
Even when your mini split turns off because it thinks it adequately cooled the house, you disagree. The air that comes out isn’t cold anymore, nor is it cool. At best, it’s lukewarm.
You know that mini splits need to cycle air through before you feel a difference in temperature, but this is different. Since your home doesn’t feel cool, the mini split is on for longer, straining and working to reduce temperatures in the house a little.
Refrigerant is the cooling fluid in a ductless mini split system. With less of it to go around, it makes sense that the air that’s released from the indoor air-handling unit wouldn’t be that cold.
What Should You Do If Your Ductless Mini Split Is Leaking?
If one or more of the above symptoms are those your own ductless mini split system is experiencing, we recommend calling your mini split technician rather than trying to troubleshoot the issue yourself.
Your technician can diagnose the source of the leak and either repair the damaged part or replace it. Your mini split will begin working well again and your home will feel cooler!
