Refrigerant is arguably one of the most important components of keeping your home cool. Of course, everything inside of your air conditioner has to work together for effective cooling. But refrigerant does a big portion of the job.
If you suspect refrigerant problems inside your air conditioner, you need to call for AC repair in Maple Grove. You can keep reading to learn more about how refrigerant works inside of your air conditioner and the signs of some refrigerant problems. This will help you identify when something is wrong so that you can schedule service right away.
How Does Refrigerant Cool Air?
Refrigerant is a chemical that cycles through your air conditioner inside of airtight lines where it alternates between being a gas and a liquid. As refrigerant enters the indoor portion of your unit, it is a liquid. Refrigerant expands into a gas as it absorbs heat from the air blowing over the evaporator coils where the refrigerant is cycling through.
In the outdoor portion of the unit, refrigerant releases heat and compresses back down into its liquid form to repeat the cycle again. There’s a common misconception that refrigerant levels go down as time passes. But this is not true. As long as there are no leaks in the refrigerant lines, your air conditioner maintains the same level of refrigerant charge across its entire lifespan.
Signs of Refrigerant Problems
Refrigerant leaks are a problem for a couple of reasons. First, the chemical is harmful if you breathe it in or touch it. Refrigerant can also damage other parts of your air conditioner and surrounding areas of your home. For example, refrigerant that leaks out on the indoor portion of your unit can cause ice buildup that blocks the remaining refrigerant in the lines from being able to absorb heat to cool your home effectively.
Ice buildup is one way that you can identify a refrigerant leak. However, it’s also possible for ice to build up due to a lack of airflow even if you don’t have a refrigerant leak.
Because of this, you may have to look for other signs. A lack of cool air blowing out of vents around your home is one sign of a refrigerant leak. Without enough refrigerant charge in the lines, there isn’t enough of the chemical to absorb heat from the air, resulting in higher indoor air temperatures.
You can also listen for hissing or bubbling sounds. Depending on where a refrigerant leak is located, it will make a hissing sound where the chemical is a gas and a bubbling sound where the chemical is a liquid.
Preventing Refrigerant Line Damage
Unfortunately, sometimes problems just happen. However, there are some steps you can take to lessen the likelihood your AC has a refrigerant leak. A lack of airflow is one of the top reasons for strain on refrigerant lines.
Changing out the indoor air filter in a timely manner helps to maintain strong airflow leading into the system. Cleaning the outdoor unit helps to maintain airflow out of the unit where heat is getting dispelled.
Contact Comfort Matters Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. With you through THE HIGHS & LOWS!