Your air conditioner’s refrigerant is probably the one component of your cooling system that you don’t give much thought to. However, it plays a very important role. Without the right amount of refrigerant, your air conditioner simply could not do its job.
In order to keep your air conditioner in the best shape possible and ensure it functions properly for years to come, you should understand the basics of how it works. Keep reading to learn more about the important role that refrigerant plays in your AC system, and possible issues that can crop up.
What Exactly Is Refrigerant?
Most people think of refrigerant as a single liquid. However, it is actually a combination of different heat transfer fluids that are used in all air conditioning and heat pump systems. Your system’s refrigerant runs between the two units of your air conditioner: the inside unit and the outdoor unit.
Inside your air conditioner is a coil called the evaporator coil. Its function is to evaporate the refrigerant in order to absorb heat from the surrounding area. If you have a traditional air conditioner, this would be the heat in your home. However if you have a heat pump system, this process can be reversed to pull heat from the outdoors in the winter time.
After this point, the refrigerant gas is sent down the refrigerant line to the other coil, where it condenses back into a liquid. From there, heat is either released into or out of the home, helping your air conditioner to work effectively.
Potential Problems
The biggest problem that can occur in regards to refrigerant is a leak. Air conditioners—despite what many people believe—do not consume refrigerant. Rather, they recycle it during their normal operation. So if a leak does develop, your system will be drained of the fluid it needs to function. Not only will this cause a decline in efficiency, eventually it can lead to system breakdown if repairs are delayed too long.
For expert air conditioner installation in Houston, TX, contact Fresh Air, L.P. today.
