Catching an Active Refrigerant Leak During a Routine Heating Tune-Up

HVAC Maintenance Case Study

• Location: Atlanta, GA
• The Situation: Scheduled heating maintenance on an 11-year-old Daikin system.
• The Solution: A thorough tune-up and cleaning that traced a minor sign of rust back to a major component failure.
• Key Result: Early detection of an active refrigerant leak on the indoor coil, giving the homeowner a clear diagnosis and the ability to plan for a replacement before a sudden, total system breakdown.

The Job Site Breakdown

• The Initial Tune-Up: Our HVAC technician began the maintenance visit by removing an incorrectly sized air filter and installing the proper, customer-supplied replacement. To ensure the unit would fire safely and efficiently, we then carefully cleaned the burners and the flame sensor.

• A Red Flag in the Reservoir: While cleaning the condensate-pump reservoir, our technician spotted rust. In HVAC systems, rust in the condensate pump is often a symptom of a larger issue higher up in the unit. This minor detail prompted a much closer inspection of the surrounding internal components.

• Confirming the Leak: A visual inspection of the indoor coil revealed significant corrosion. To be absolutely certain of the diagnosis, our technician utilized an electronic refrigerant leak detector. The detector immediately picked up the presence of gas, confirming an active refrigerant leak in the coil.