Heating and Air professionals will tell you that if the refrigerant is
running low there is a problem. Preventative maintenance and
professional repair are the best ways to minimize damage.
Many homeowners operate under a serious misconception. They believe that
the operation of a heating and air conditioning unit requires the
occasional refill of refrigerant. That is simply not the case.
Regardless of what sort of gas is used to fill the system there should
never be any reduction. The day it is installed should be the only time
that it ever needs to be filled and it should thereafter operate as
efficiently as it ever did. The only maintenance there should be is an
annual maintenance and service by a qualified technician. Unfortunately,
some homeowners think that the solution should be topping it off when
it seems to get low. In fact that indicates that there is a leak and it
needs to be repaired not just maintained. Adding more refrigerant is
simply going to allow the leak to continue to get a worse and lead to
more damage.
Fortunately, almost all new heating and air conditioning units are
constructed with welded fittings as compared to the flared fittings of
older models. With these flared fittings the vibrations of the system
running can sometimes lead to the tubes rattling and loosening and this
will occasionally result in a leak. In these cases it is critical that
someone gets called to come out and repair the system. If not it is
almost certain that there will be a much more serious problem down the
line. The damage that the leak may cause will get worse and worse and
will only be exacerbated by topping it off. The unit may work better but
it will definitely be continuing to vent refrigerant that will corrode
and damage things it comes in contact with.
If the heating and air conditioning unit is losing fluids it will
necessarily lose efficiency. Generally, this translates to a decrease it
the systems ability to regulate the temperature. Usually it is
difficult to notice initially because it will just work harder and draw
more power in an attempt to get the room down to the desired
temperature. This will at first be seen in higher energy costs. If a
large amount of refrigerant has escaped sometimes the entire thing will
freeze. In this case it is will not function and must be thawed in order
to be repaired. This will frequently demand a large amount of
replacement of major and ancillary parts on top of fixing the leak.
In order to prevent this problem and others like it it is very important
to have a qualified heating and air conditioning technician out to
inspect the unit annually. If it seems like there is a problem call
immediately. The sooner someone can get out to fix it the less likely it
is that there will be more serious damage or problems. All heating and
air professionals will tell you that basic upkeep and maintenance is the
best way to prevent issues. So clean the filter and keep the system
unobstructed for years of functionality.
A phoenix heating and
air specialist will help you keep your house at that happy
equilibrium. To find a trustworthy business in your area visit: www.ffmechaz.com.
