man fixing the air conditioner

How Often Does a Central Air Conditioner Need Refrigerant?

You might be surprised to learn that your air conditioner doesn’t ever need to be recharged with refrigerant. Unless there is a refrigerant leak, AC shouldn’t ever require additional refrigerant.

Let’s take a deeper look at why your air conditioner shouldn’t ever require a refrigerant if everything is operating as it is and whether you need to fix any air conditioner issues you may be having.

Quick Overview Of The AC Refrigerant

The majority of modern air conditioners are sent from the manufacturer with the precise refrigerant amount that they will require for the rest of its life. Therefore, besides the vehicle’s air conditioner, your house or office air conditioner won’t ever need a refrigerant to fill up except if there is a problem with the unit and decreasing the A/C unit’s capacity to produce cold air.

However, if you don’t detect the leak’s source, you’ll probably need to inject fresh refrigerant on a regular basis to keep your air conditioning system operating. This costs a lot of money and is very bad for the environment.

The evaporator of your air conditioning unit, which is connected to the outdoor air conditioning unit by a large loop, contains refrigerant. To prevent refrigerant from escaping, the coils operate in a closed loop. Because of this, if the refrigerant levels are somehow low, it might leak out from copper coils.

Indicators of Refrigerant Leak

  • Bubbles and hissing sound refrigerant lines
  • Vents are releasing warm air
  • Frost on the refrigerant lines
  • Higher than the usual electricity bill
  • Frost on condenser coils

Steps To Take If Your AC Is Not Blowing Cold Air

  • Evaluate your AC system from both outside and inside.
  • Check the thermostat, air filters, and indoor unit.
  • Contact the expert technician and explain your issues.
  • If refrigerant levels are low, they should explain why and offer you alternatives for what to do next.
  • If there’s a refrigerant leak, the technician will either fix the source of the leak or recharge the refrigerant if you plan on replacing the unit.

When Should You Replace Your Unit?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an air conditioner’s usual lifespan is between fifteen to twenty years. And if the air conditioner has not been properly serviced and maintained, it may last much less time.

Investment in refrigerant refilling might not be the best course of action if your AC unit is twelve to fifteen years old and is losing its cooling efficiency due to its age, especially given the rising cost of R-22 refrigerant. But if you switch to a new R-410A refrigerant-based system or AC unit, you may save big on energy efficiency and its life.

Get Professional Cooling Services in Las Vegas

man taping the tubes of air conditioner

If you think it’s time to replace your air conditioner with a better one, hire a Las Vegas air conditioning contractor for your AC replacement.

Infinity Air LLC is a leading HVAC services provider in Las Vegas that offers a wide range of professional heating and cooling services.

For more details about our services, call us at 1 702 489 6452.

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