When your AC system starts showing unusual signs, it's a good idea to pay attention. When those signs indicate a refrigerant leak, that goes double. While air conditioning units are designed to keep their refrigerants in a closed system, they can still pose a risk of
toxicity and other hazards if the system is worn or damaged enough to start leaking.
To give you an idea of how things could go wrong, in 2025
a Freon leak in a Michigan motel’s AC unit caused a mysterious illness and a full-on HAZMAT response. In 2024, an entire Washington D.C hi-rise
had to be evacuated due to a suspected leak. These can be serious situations, and you should call a professional as soon as possible when you recognize the issue.
The best way to make sure that your AC unit’s refrigerant stays where it’s supposed to be is to take good care of the system and have a professional check it regularly. However, you’ll also want to know
how to recognize a possible leak situation in order to react to it. Here's a handy explainer on how to do so.
Weird Sounds and Smells
If the sound of your AC unit changes in one way or another, you should take notice. In case of a refrigerant leak, the particular sounds you should pay attention to are a lot like hissing or bubbling. If you hear your unit make noise like this, it often indicates that there’s a hole somewhere in the system.
Your nose is another good way to detect a potential leak. Normally, your AC unit shouldn't smell. However, if you do notice
an exhaust smell, you should act immediately. By the time your nose can detect the coolant, chances are that it has been leaking for quite a while, and you should call a professional immediately.
Ice in the Unit and Moisture in the Air
One extremely good way to detect AC unit refrigerant leaks is simply checking out your system for frost or ice every once in a while, even when the weather is sweltering. If you do notice ice somewhere in the unit, there’s a chance that
refrigerant has been leaking out, which in turn causes moisture to freeze up inside the unit. The most likely place for this to happen are the evaporator coils, but really, ice anywhere in the unit is a sign of trouble.
Speaking of moisture, you should also suspect a refrigerant leak if your house suddenly and unexpectedly seems a lot more humid than usual. Since AC units manage moisture as well as temperature, suddenly noticing that your home feels far clammier than usual can mean that the unit is losing its refrigerant.
The Unit Performs Worse, But Your Energy Bill Spikes
If none of those other signs present themselves, you may be able to notice that something’s up with two basic things: Your comfort and your wallet. Air conditioning needs coolant to function properly, and
a leak will affect its ability to produce cool air the way it should. As such, you will likely notice that the AC unit will not perform according to its settings. Even if the unit does manage to hit the required temperatures, it’ll have to work extra hard to do so. Because of this, your energy bill might suddenly spike due to the increased amount of power the system needs to use.
These issues, of course, may indicate all sorts of other problems with your AC unit, as well. Even so, if you suddenly notice something like this, it's worth taking a look at the system in order to check if it shows any of the other signs of a refrigerant leak.
