What does a steady stream of bubbles in the sight gauge of a freon system indicate?

A steady stream of bubbles in the sight gauge of a freon system is indicative of low refrigerant charge. This phenomenon occurs because the bubbles represent refrigerant vapor that is present due to insufficient liquid refrigerant in the system. When the charge is low, the sight gauge shows a mixture of refrigerant vapor and liquid, which leads to the visible bubbles forming as the vapor moves through the gauge.

In a properly charged system, the sight gauge should display a solid column of liquid refrigerant, indicating that the system has sufficient refrigerant to operate efficiently. Therefore, the presence of bubbles directly signals that the system is not adequately charged, which can lead to poor cooling performance and potential damage to the system if not addressed.