How to Tell if You Need to Change Refrigerant in Your AC Unit

Even though the majority of the country is still dealing with winter and snow, California tends to have a much milder climate. In fact, maybe it is time to stop thinking ab out your furnace and heating and focus your attention on your AC unit.

If you opt to maintain your air conditioning unit now, you can enjoy the benefits of not having to wait for an available technician, because it is a bit off-season. Not only will you get instant service, you may even be able to get some discounts, too.

Turning on your AC for the first time may show some problems that have developed over time. If you notice that your AC struggles to cool your home, the first thing you may assume is that your refrigerant levels are low. However, there are other things which may be causing this. In any case, do not use your AC until you have it inspected by a professional like https://www.actionac.net/air-conditioning-san-diego-repair-ca/ .

Air Filters 

If you haven’t used the AC unit for a while, you may have forgotten about your air filters. Most AC technicians recommend that you replace or clean your filters at least once a month. If your AC has been inactive, you may feel like your filter doesn’t have to be changed, but it has been accumulating a lot of dirt, germs and other particles which may be allergenic or even a hotbed for some diseases . It can also create an obstruction in the airflow, which results in a decreased cooling potential of your AC.

Before you start using the AC, check your filter and replace or clean it if necessary. It is not an expensive nor a time consuming task, so you should have no problems doing this. Just make sure that you buy filters which are appropriate for the AC unit you have.

Air Intakes

Your AC unit needs to take the air in somehow. Some units take the air from outside, whereas others recirculate the existing air. Either way, if the air intake is somehow obstructed, your AC may need to put in an extra effort to achieve the same result, which can damage it, or it will simply reduce its output and reduce its cooling capacity.

Basically, all you need to do is clean the air intakes and it should solve your problem. If you have ducts running through your house, you may need to consult an expert to clean them as you probably cannot access every part of the system.

Refrigerant Levels

However, if neither of these things is responsible for your AC unit’s poor performance, perhaps the problem is the coolant or refrigerant itself. The most common reason for deceased refrigerant levels is a leak in the system. The simplest way to determine it this is your problem is to look for ice forming around the condensation coils. If your AC doesn’t have condensation coils, the icing may occur on the pipes leading to the compressor.

If the performance of your AC is still poor and there are no leaks, it is quite likely that your refrigerant has just been used up by the normal use. Refrigerant most commonly last s for about a year, so if you haven’t changed it recently, you may need to call up a technician to refill your refrigerant.

Some people insist on doing everything themselves, but it is not recommended that you do this. Not only do you not have the necessary experience and qualifications, you may also lack the appropriate equipment and safety gear that professional air condition technicians have.










Disclosure:  This is a contributed post.