Will a freon leak hurt my baby?

Question

My family returned from movie and noticed a yellow wet spot on the ceiling directly below the A/C unit. The realistate company had sent someone to do routine matinence on it earlier today. I noticed the yellow spot was making the plaster come off of the ceiling, and decided to go into the attic to take a look at the unit itself. The leak is comming from a line that I believe contains freon. Two lines leave the A/C unit in the attic and go outside to the condencer unit. Of these two lines, the larger one that is wrapped in insulation is leaking at numerous points. The realistate company said they will not send anyone untill tommorow, but I am worried about my baby. She is 14 days old. Can this leak have bad health affects on her?

Answer 1

HVAC Tech.::  The yellow you see could be oil if in fact you have a freon leak. you do not say the unit is NOT cooling.  If there were several leaks as you say there would be no freon left, hence NO cooling. Freon is a heavier than air gas so it would have escaped out your soffits therefore, no threat to your baby. What you call leaks might be excessive condensation dripping from the suction line, a problem that will have to be taken care of by your tech.

Answer 2

YES!  Get it fixed!

Answer 3

The yellow that you see is a dye they put in the line to find a leak. You are correct to say that there are two lines coming off of the a/c. That is called the line set, and it is the most crucial part of the entire system. There is no hazard to your 14 day old baby, but you might want to get it fixed for your own economic reasons. Your a/c is not cooling if you have a leak in your freon.

Answer 4

As a technician, I have been told you can breathe freon with no ill effects unless there is a cloud of it and all you are breathing is freon, then you aren't getting oxygen. But that is next to impossible to do.

In days past before concerns about the ozone layer techs used to open the doors and windows and just cut the lines for a refrigerator allowing the freon to escape in to the air.  

The only time it becomes dangerous is if you heat it with an open flame. But since it mixes easily with the air it disappates quickly. That is only a concern for a technician welding the lines with a torch.

But more importantly it is likely only condensation, moisture, that is leaking.

If you had a refrigerant leak substantial enough to be of any consideration your unit would not be cooling and the refrigerant would be gone in short order anyway.

Answer 5

Its probally condesation dripping from the pipe but freon is harmless unless burnt. it is however bad news environmentally and that is why it has not been used for a long time. Freon will not drip. It evaporates and leaks as a gas.

Answer 6

yes