AC gas leak: Why it happens and what you can do to prevent it – Times of India

There can be several reasons behind your air conditioner not cooling properly. It can be due to the wrong mode set on the AC, or the AC is running at the wrong temperature. We have covered that topic in a separate article, you can click here to read.
But among other reasons, one common reason is also the coolant – or colloquially known as ‘gas – leak. Every AC comes with a refrigerant gas which is actually responsible for effective cooling. If that gas is low for any reason, the AC will most likely not cool properly.
The burning question is what causes the refrigerant leak and is there any way to prevent it from happening. There’s no simple answer to that as some would blame it on the air quality or some would say there are too many open drains around the AC. Here we explain some of the reasons that may be behind the refrigerant leak:
Reasons behind the ‘gas’ leak
The one big reason behind the AC gas leak is corrosion. Once the condenser pipes start corroding, it’s likely they will end up reducing the cooling efficiency of the AC due to a refrigerant leak. However, there are some other reasons as well.
For instance, things can get damaged due to external and internal reasons. Vibration is one of them. As we know that a compressor motor creates vibration and if things aren’t properly fixed, it can damage the compressor connection and result in a refrigerant leak.
Similarly, if there’s some issue with the installation, it can also eventually result in gas leak from the AC.
A pinhole leak is another phenomenon that can cause refrigerant leak.
There are many more reasons, but the real deal is how to protect them from happening.
How to prevent gas leak in ACs
As mentioned, things aren’t that simple. AC manufacturers have already done their research and have tried their level best to prevent something like this from happening. However, this is something that seems inevitable and will happen sooner or later.
Still, there are certain things that can further delay this from happening. For starters, always choose copper condenser ACs instead of aluminum condensers. You might find aluminum condenser ACs slightly cheaper, but they are more prone to oxidation and the corrosion happens relatively faster compared to copper.
You will have to understand that copper is also prone to corrosion, but the rate is relatively slower and there are coatings that can future slow the rate of corrosion.
Another important thing you can do is always install the outdoor unit of the AC in a shaded area where it is not directly exposed to the sunlight. This will give you improved cooling efficiency as well as extended durability.
The next suggestion is pretty common but beneficial. If possible try to cover your AC’s outdoor unit when not in use (in winters).
Apart from that, regular service can also prevent something like this from happening.