We would love to tell you that there is a way in which to ensure that you never encounter problems with your air conditioning system. As anyone that has ever used any mechanical system can attest to, however, this is just not the case. All mechanical systems, your air conditioner included, will run into operational issues from time to time. There is no way to avoid them completely, though routine AC maintenance will help to keep your system as reliable as possible.
All that being said, it is true that certain problems that you may encounter with your air conditioner are a bit more concerning than others. Case in point: the refrigerant leak. Refrigerant plays an integral role in the cooling process that your air conditioner follows, and a refrigerant leak will have a number of undesirable consequences for the system at large. So keep the following information in mind, and be sure to schedule any necessary AC repairs in Palm Bay, FL with our team.
What Does Refrigerant Do?
The refrigerant in your air conditioning system truly is what makes cooling possible, to begin with. How? Because an air conditioner does not somehow “create” coolness the way that your heater generates heat. What you are feeling is the absence of heat in the house, and removing heat to achieve that goal relies upon the refrigerant process.
Your air conditioner has an evaporator coil indoors. As refrigerant evaporates, it draws heat out of the air passing over that coil. The cooled air continues on to be distributed throughout your home, while the hot refrigerant travels outside. It is condensed in the outdoor condenser coil, and releases its heat. This process continues until desired temperatures are met in your home.
Why Low Levels Are a Problem
Unlike the gasoline in your car, the refrigerant in your air conditioning system is not going to be consumed. Instead, it is recycled over and over again in a closed loop system. That means that low refrigerant levels are indeed abnormal, and this suggests one of two situations. The system was not properly charged at the time of installation (a mistake that we don’t make, plain and simple) or that there is a leak.
When you don’t have the right amount of refrigerant in your air conditioner, your air conditioner is going to struggle to do its job. It will drive up cooling costs as the system struggles to remove heat from the house effectively. You may notice that your coil is icing up, and even that your system is shutting down prematurely due to added strain. If you ignore the problem long enough, total compressor failure is possible.
The last thing that you want is to put your comfort, your budget, and your AC itself at risk. If you notice that your system is acting abnormally, contact us right away. If you do have a refrigerant leak, our team will pinpoint its location and resolve it effectively before recharging your system as needed.
Let Next Generation Air & Heat, Inc. handle your AC services.
