Diagnosing a Low Refrigerant Level in a Home Heat Pump
Heat pumps are a common household appliance that are used to cool or heat the house depending on the climate. If a household’s heat pump begins to display uncommon behavior such as poor cooling or inadequate heating, one of the most common culprits is low refrigerant. This can lead to many problems in the long run and should be looked at quickly. Knowing how to properly diagnose an issue with refrigerant levels in a heat pump can help save time and money.
The most reliable way to diagnose a decrease in refrigerant levels is to enlist the help of a professional. This is because leaking refrigerants can be dangerous and require special tools for safe detection and repair. The expert will use a set of certified meters to read the levels of refrigerant and determine if the levels are too low in the heat pump. There are a few other signs to look out for that indicate a decrease in the refrigerant level, such as a noisy electric motor or decreased air flow.
In cases where it is not convenient to have a professional diagnose the heat pump, it is possible to do a basic inspection of the condensate drain. If the refrigerant is too low, it will often cause an accumulation of moisture in the condensate drain. If a large amount of water is in the drain, it is likely that the refrigerant level is low.
There are other ways to detect a reduction in refrigerant levels in a heat pump, but the safest and most reliable way is to enlist the help of a professional. If your heat pump is displaying any of the signs mentioned above, then it would be wise to look into the possibility of low refrigerant levels as soon as possible. Make sure to familiarise yourself with our Comprehensive Appliance Error Codes Glossary to get up to date information on the latest error codes and their meaning.