What Exactly is a Refrigerant?
The refrigerant in your air conditioning unit is either R-22 (Freon) or the more ecologically responsible R-410A, depending on the brand. R-22 is being phased out, making it more expensive and difficult to obtain. However, if your air conditioner is older, it will rely on Freon for its refrigerant charge, which will cost you more during an AC repair in Yucca Valley.
A refrigerant is a pressurized chief constituent used to cycle heat from inside your home to the outside, where it chills and is- reprocessed. Professional experts make it a point to inform homeowners that their unit should not normally run out of refrigerant.
How Does your Air Conditioner’s Refrigerant Work?
When your HVAC unit is installed, it is provided with enough refrigerant to last its complete lifecycle. There is a chance that you will require a coolant refill at some point (referred to as a recharge). But if you do, it’s not a normal part of the cooling process and indicates a leak.
Also, you must identify the source of the leak and get the coolant line repaired to reinstate system performance. Otherwise, your air conditioning system may develop a variety of issues, including:
- A Reduction in Cooling Outcome
If a leak develops in the coolant line, the output of your air conditioning unit will decrease in tandem with the decrease in refrigerant levels. Eventually, your refrigerant level will drop and your cooling system will fail.
If you notice a decrease in cooling output, you must contact a professional immediately. This issue could be caused by something else, such as an air handler malfunction, but a decrease in cooling output warrants investigation.
- The Vents are Blowing Warm Air
If you have a coolant leak, you may notice warm air emerging from your vents instead of lowered airflow. A lack of refrigerant in your air conditioner brings it under a lot of strain. If you run your air conditioner with a low refrigerant charge, you could cause serious and irreversible harm to the compressor.
- Ice Formation on the Evaporator Coil
The fluid changes from a gaseous to a liquid state during the coolant process and is subjected to extreme pressure before entering the evaporator coils. The valve releases an exact amount of refrigerant into the winding, where it then reverts to gaseous form. It draws heat from the surrounding air, cooling it in as this happens. When there is a refrigerant leak, frost or ice forms on the evaporator coil’s outside.
If you are looking for a dependable HVAC company for your repair, tune-up, or air conditioning installation in Yucca Valley, CA, end your quest at Diversified Heating and Cooling. For more details, call us at 760-365-6740.
