Houston AC Repair Service Discusses The Importance Of Refrigerant In New Post

Air Check Mechanical Service has published a new blog post on their website that discusses one of the most important components of a well running air conditioning system - refrigerant. The company discusses some of the history of refrigerants in the post, as well as some of the issues involved with these substances.

While it is rare for refrigerant leaks to occur in what is called "closed loop"-air conditioning systems, this is always a possibility if you are using an older system. While refrigerant can leak from the system, it does not "go bad" or in common applications without a leak it is never "used up". According to the US department of energy, however, refrigerant can last 15-20 years as long as the air conditioner has been properly maintained.

"It does seem to be common that people looking to get an AC maintenance check will assume that they have refrigerant issues, although this isn't often the case," said Donald Compton, spokesperson and owner of Air Check Mechanical Service. "When it comes to an AC inspection, we do look over the entire air conditioner, which makes it very easy to spot where there may be issues."

Even though it may be a somewhat common service for automobile air conditioning systems, it is usually uncommon for a professional HVAC contractor like Air Check Mechanical Service to offer an AC recharge service. Instead, as part of an AC tune up, refrigerant levels are typically checked only to provide evidence that a leak may be present.

In fact, it is often quite rare to require an AC recharge. But, there are a few signs that an HVAC unit may be low on refrigerant. They may include:

The home takes an extremely long time to cool down.

Ice is beginning to build up on evaporator coils.

The air conditioner runs much longer than usual.

Water accumulation is apparent on the floor nearby the furnace due to condensation.

Supply ducts blow hot air even with the central air running and the thermostat set to cool.

One of the issues that consumers may need to know about refrigerants is that the previously most heavily used refrigerant, commonly known as R-22 or Freon, was banned by the United States Environmental Protection Agency at the start of 2020. Although this does not mean that homeowners and businesses are required to purchase new equipment or stop using R-22, it may be a consideration in the years to come as old stock R-22 supplies begin to dry up.

Another interesting fact is that all equipment that uses R-22 was manufactured before 2010. Which in some cases may be an excellent reason to consider upgrading to a new system via an AC installation. As noted above, air conditioners that are maintained extremely well tend to last only 15-20 years, so if you're seeing refrigerant leaks in your HVAC system now, it may be a good time for AC replacement.

"It's our job at Air Check Mechanical Service to ensure that customer heating and cooling units are operating to the absolute best level of efficiency," said Compton. "We always strive to provide the most affordable cooling solution for customers, but when a unit is getting on in years, and we're talking about a 20-25 year old system, a new unit just makes more sense."

Newer air conditioning systems use a refrigerant called R-410A, which is not only more environmentally friendly, but also much more energy efficient. While refrigerant is not commonly the key issue when an air conditioning system needs repair, it may be one of the factors, so Houston residents should definitely consider an AC maintenance check today, while the weather remains cool.