There are certain materials required for different systems to work. For example, your car wouldn’t be able to run without gas and oil; your refrigerator cannot operate without coolant and electricity. Similar to these systems, your air conditioner requires two key things to operate properly: electricity and refrigerant.
While your air conditioner could technically “run” without refrigerant, it wouldn’t be able to do the job the right way. With only electricity, your AC system is going to turn into a very expensive and very large fan.
Refrigerant is highly important to your AC system, and along with that, the type of refrigerant that your unit uses is important to know. Let us explain why.
The Role of Refrigerant
Refrigerant plays a highly vital role in the operation of your air conditioning in Anaheim, CA. This is because your refrigerant is the thing that allows your AC to create cold air. It does this by absorbing heat from the air that is blown over your unit’s evaporator coil. After absorbing that heat, the refrigerant, which is now in a gaseous state, is transported outside where it releases the heat and is recycled to continue the cooling process.
Why You Should Know Your System’s Refrigerant Type
Without refrigerant, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy any cool air during the summertime. This is why, when your refrigerant springs a leak, you need to be able to get the leak fixed and your refrigerant refilled or “recharged.”
The one key thing to know in this instance is what type of refrigerant you have. Here’s why. Knowing which type of refrigerant your system uses is going to help you choose your best course of action if and when you need a refrigerant recharge.
The two types of refrigerants currently used for air conditioners are R-22 (a hydrochlorofluorocarbon) and R-410A.
The Refrigerant Recharge Question
Many central air conditioners were built to utilize a refrigerant known as R-22. At this point, this type of refrigerant is no longer in production and is being phased out due to the fact that it is harmful to our environment, specifically because it causes a depletion of our ozone layer.
The phaseout of R-22 is leading to the use of this refrigerant being replaced with R-410A which is more eco-friendly than its predecessor.
There is a catch here as you may have guessed. If you need a refrigerant recharge and your system still uses R-22, that service is going to get increasingly expensive, and, eventually, it won’t be an option at all. While some AC systems might be able to be retro-fitted to utilize R-410A, in most cases, a unit that used R-22 will need to be replaced as this refrigerant becomes scarcer.
You cannot put R-410A into a system that used R-22 because the pressurization requirements are different. This would be the equivalent of putting regular gasoline into a diesel engine. If you were to try to do this, your AC wouldn’t be able to properly pressurize the new refrigerant, leaving the R-410A useless and leaving you uncomfortable.
If your AC needs a refrigerant recharge, or you need to consider an upgrade to a new system to switch from using R-22 to R-410A, make sure you schedule your service with a professional.
Contact Avis Home Solutions to get started.
