Why air conditioners need refrigerant charges

If you notice warm air blowing or frost and ice on your central air conditioner lines, those may be symptoms of low refrigerant. Sometimes a central air conditioner needs a recharge of refrigerant, most commonly called Freon®. Even though units sometimes require a refrigerant refill, this does not mean that your central air conditioner “uses” refrigerant. The refrigerant is the primary product that a system uses to transfer heat from inside to outside your home. When the refrigerant is low that means there is a leak somewhere in your system. That leak is most likely in the tubing of your system. That tubing is most likely made of copper or aluminum and susceptible to wear and tear from outdoor elements and critters.  Most times these leaks are minuscule and not visible to the naked eye. Depending on the size, the leak may take an entire year to have an effect, or the effect may be as quick as overnight.

The first option for low refrigerant is to re-charge the unit and hope it lasts another 10 years. This is the most cost-effective option and the one most of us would choose. Finding and repairing a leak can be very time-intensive, thus costly. Depending on the location of your unit, ease of access, and age of your unit, identifying a leak and repairing could range anywhere from simple to impossible.

Low refrigerant can cause several problems, most notably warm air blowing from your vents. One of the more extreme symptoms is a complete freeze up of your outdoor unit. A freeze up will leave your system completely unusable, and usually 24-hours before any service can be performed. If your unit does not seem to be performing optimally, consider an air conditioner tune-up. Part of the tune-up is to check for optimal performance and check the current level of refrigerant. If you find yourself recharging your system annually, you may want to consider replacement. Consider Hillside for any cooling or heating services you may need!

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