Air conditioners don’t attract a lot of attention when they’re running properly. In fact, they should be making you so comfortable you don’t even need to think about them very much—just sit back and relax. However, that doesn’t mean you can forget all about your air conditioner throughout the entire year. Regular HVAC service and proper maintenance keep your air conditioner energy efficient and help prevent damage caused by too much wear and tear on old parts.
Refrigerant is a feature of your air conditioner that requires regular attention
Refrigerant is the chemical your air conditioner uses to cool the air in your home, but it must be carefully looked after to continue working optimally. Too much of it can cause the surplus to build up inside your compressor, affecting your AC unit’s energy efficiency and causing significant damage to your heating and cooling system. Since a new compressor can cost well over a thousand dollars, this situation is to be avoided. On the other hand, too little refrigerant prevents your unit from being able to cool your Raleigh home sufficiently, which results in much higher energy usage and unreasonable utility bills. The best way to avoid these scenarios is to have the refrigerant in your air conditioner charged at least once a year. Hire a local Raleigh Heating and Air Conditioning repair company so they can send a qualified HVAC service technician to your home, check your refrigerant levels, and adjust them accordingly.
The DIY option
Some Raleigh AC owners add refrigerant themselves when they notice that their levels have dropped, but this is comparable to topping up the oil in a car that is slowly burning it. Since low refrigerant levels are almost always the result of a leak in the system, topping it up is only ever a temporary solution, and leaving the cause of the problem unchecked can be risky. Using a qualified technician ensures that any refrigerant leak will be found and rectified. Leaks are commonly caused by damaged service valves, hoses, machine stress, or outside interference from animals, lawnmowers, and the like. Too much refrigerant, on the other hand, is often caused by mistakes during the installation process. A skilled HVAC contractor can reduce the pressure in your machine to acceptable levels to rectify the problem.
Don’t let the wrong amount of refrigerant damage an otherwise functional air conditioner and cause unnecessary expenses on your part. Keep your Air Conditioning system safe and your air cool with the annual services of a licensed technician from a reputable Raleigh Heating and Air Conditioning company.
