It occasionally becomes necessary to recharge a home air conditioner with refrigerant (freon). However, this isn’t the same as recharging a battery every so often. Air conditioning equipment is designed to use the original refrigerant permanently; it doesn’t normally consume or leak this substance. First, you should find out if your cooling system truly needs a recharge.
Common Symptoms
A refrigerant leak can cause A/C equipment to produce a “hissing” noise inside of the home. You may also notice poor performance, higher electric bills or ice accumulation. Keep in mind that other problems could trigger these symptoms; an HVAC professional can provide a more definitive diagnosis.
Repairing Leaks
It’s crucial to find the leak and fix it before recharging your system. A technician should also try to correct any issues that helped cause the leakage. This process may involve the replacement of tubes, seals or rusty components. Parts that cause excessive vibration probably need tightening.
This is important because ongoing leakage will lead to burdensome energy and service expenses. Older types of refrigerant have become hard to find and especially costly. If you repeatedly need to recharge the same air conditioner, it’s causing significant harm to the environment and may produce negative health effects.
Replacement
Leak repair and recharging cost considerable amounts of money. If your A/C equipment’s age exceeds 12 years or it uses an older refrigerant known as R-22, strongly consider replacing it with a new system. This solution initially costs somewhat more, but you’ll benefit from greater efficiency and reliability in the long run.
Regardless of whether you decide to replace or recharge your system, you can rely on our cooling experts to complete this task promptly and affordably. We employ highly skilled professionals who know how to service a wide assortment of equipment from multiple brands. Please contact our friendly staff to get started.