Furnace AC Refrigerant Leak — Signs and Repair Cost
Published: July 23, 2026 — BC Wide Home Services Ltd, doing business as BC Wide Heating & Air Conditioning — Greater Vancouver, BC
Signs of a Refrigerant Leak
Gradual loss of cooling performance over weeks or months, ice on the evaporator coil or refrigerant lines, hissing or bubbling sound from the coil or line set, oily residue around refrigerant connections, and higher electricity bills (the system runs longer to compensate).
Leak Detection and Repair
A technician uses: electronic leak detector (sniffs for refrigerant), UV dye injection (visible under black light), or nitrogen pressure test (pressurize the system and listen for leaks). Repair methods: tighten loose fittings, braze pinhole leaks, replace leaking Schrader valves, or replace the evaporator coil if the leak is in the coil itself.
Repair Cost and Decisions
Minor leak repair: $300-600 (reseal a fitting, replace a valve core). Major leak repair (coil replacement): $1,500-3,000. If the AC is over 12 years old and has a major leak, replacement ($4,000-7,000) is usually more cost-effective than spending $2,000+ on a repair for an aging system.