Indian River Vol. Fire Co. Issues Advisory after Responding to Freon Leak

LONG NECK, Del. – The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company is warning residents of the dangers of refrigerant leaks after responding to one such case over the weekend.

At approximately 5:03 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, crews were alerted to a gas leak incident inside a residence on Dogwood Road in the Pot Nets Bayside development.

Emergency response crews conducted an exterior evaluation before commencing with the interior evaluation of the residential structure. All residents evacuated the home upon arrival of emergency response units and their detector monitoring throughout the residential structure.

Crews ultimately determined that the leak was associated with the property’s HVAC system, which contains freon. The residential occupants were advised to contact a service repair entity to address the freon leak.

The fire company tells residents that the best way to identify a refrigerant leak is to monitor your air conditioning (AC) unit. Refrigerants enable AC units to produce cool air, and an inefficient unit can often be a sign of a leak. Freon leaks are sometimes reported to smell like freshly cut grass, but they are often colorless and odorless.

Due to refrigerant leaks’ elusive nature, it’s recommended that homeowners keep up with regularly scheduled inspections and tune-ups of their HVAC systems.