What Could Hissing in Your AC Mean?

Hearing strange noises coming from your air conditioner is alarming, especially if you don’t know what they mean. When you hear a hissing noise coming from your AC in Fair Oaks, CA, you should call professionals right away. The sound can indicate serious problems with your air conditioner, like compressor problems, refrigerant leaks and internal valve leaks. The longer you let these problems go, the more likely you’ll cause permanent damage to your HVAC unit. That’s not only inconvenient to fix, but it can be expensive, too. Don’t risk blowing your savings or suffering in the hot California weather.

Read on to learn more about potential causes of that air conditioner hissing noise, and why it’s so important that you get it fixed right away.

Compressor problems

The air conditioner’s compressor is usually located in the outdoor portion of the unit. The compressor circulates the refrigerant through the coils in both the indoor and outdoor units. As you may know, when air blows over the cold coils, a heat exchange takes place: the refrigerant and coils absorb the heat, and the cooled air is sent through filters and into your home.

Compressor problems can be extremely expensive to fix—in many cases, you might be better off just replacing the entire unit. If you’re hearing a hissing noise, calling a repair technician right away can help keep costs down. If the hissing is ignored, however, it might progress to a shrieking noise. That’s a sign that the problem has turned serious. Call your local AC repair company, but keep in mind that you may need to replace your entire HVAC unit.

Refrigerant leaks

Your air conditioner has refrigerant running through the copper coils. As the cold refrigerant meets hot air, it absorbs the heat and turns from gas into a liquid. The refrigerant is sent through the coils over and over, heating and cooling air cyclically.

When you hear a hissing noise, it could be that refrigerant is escaping in gaseous form. This is indicative of a serious issue that can eventually harm your compressor if left unaddressed.

Internal valve leaks

Your compressor has internal valves that regulate the refrigerant’s pressurization. These can also leak, which leads to the telltale hissing noise. Again, if the problem is left unaddressed, it can damage the compressor and require you to replace the entire unit.

The most important thing to remember is that any time you hear strange noises coming from your air conditioner, you shouldn’t ignore them. Hissing noises are an indication that there’s something seriously wrong with your unit, which will eventually lead to it breaking down if it’s not repaired promptly.

Do you need help figuring out why your air conditioner is making hissing noises in Fair Oaks, CA? Cassel Air Conditioning and Heating Service has over 30 years of experience helping area homeowners stay cool. From HVAC repairs to maintenance and new unit installations, our experts will help address your AC problems. Give us a call today to get started.

Categorised in: AC Repair

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