It’s no secret that a lot of heating and cooling systems throughout our area rely on the use of refrigerant. This doesn’t really matter since we don’t come in contact with the refrigerant, until it starts to leak due to an unforeseen problem. First, we’d like to remind homeowners not to panic and alleviate your concerns about this material. Puron, specifically R-410A, the refrigerant that’s most commonly found in air conditioning systems today, is not toxic to inhale.
However, we wouldn’t be writing a blog post about this if there weren’t more to the story! You can’t just leave your air conditioner to leak refrigerant because it’s not toxic. There’s another big problem that we want to talk about down below. Take this as a very good reason to invest in air conditioner repairs in Shreveport, LA. Our team can be there in an instant to fix your refrigerant leak.
Is Refrigerant a Liquid or a Gas?
It’s both! No, we’re not joking, part of the reason why refrigerant is so useful in the cooling process is the fact that it easily turns from a liquid to a gas. When it evaporates, it pulls heat into it, and when it condenses, it disperses the heat into the environment. This is what makes a heat pump actually pump heat, or an air conditioner cool the space inside your house. This transition from liquid to gas and vice versa is essential!
When your liquid refrigerant line starts to leak, you’ll notice a “bubbling” noise. This is because the first thing that will happen once the leak springs is the infiltration of air bubbles. You don’t have to worry about this being a health hazard, only a hazard to your home’s energy efficiency and the cooling or heating process.
What Happens When You Breathe in Refrigerant?
When your gaseous refrigerant lines start to leak, then you might be in some trouble. Breathing in refrigerant can cause you to feel light-headed or a little strange in the same way you would from breathing in too much helium out of a balloon. It’s not very good for you, but it’s not toxic and it won’t hurt you in the same way that breathing in carbon monoxide or fumes from a furnace might.
However, if your air conditioner is leaking refrigerant, there’s a big problem that can still happen which we’ll cover down below. Make sure you get your system fixed, even if breathing in this material won’t hurt you.
One Big Risk With Leaking Refrigerant
Refrigerants such as Puron are denser than air, which means they can push oxygen out of a room when they leak into it. This might sound like some fun trivia, but the truth is that refrigerant can quickly push all of the oxygen out of a room and lead to suffocation or some pretty serious health problems. Breathing in refrigerant isn’t the problem, it’s the lack of breathing air that becomes the problem with this kind of issue. Don’t let your home become the victim of a constant refrigerant leak, call our team for fast repairs.
