What Can Low Refrigerant Do to My AC System?
In the realm of air conditioning repair, Catalina AZ residents know better than to take chances. The Tucson area is as hot as they come in the summertime, and a malfunctioning air conditioner is the last thing you want when the mercury rises into the triple digits. It pays to understand how normal issues can affect your air conditioner, and what a service technician can do to correct the issue. Take the question of low refrigerant: the gas which helps facilitate the cooling process. So, “What can low refrigerant do to my AC system?” you ask. As it turns out, quite a bit.
Your air conditioner depends on refrigerant being at a specific level matching its make and model. When leaks spring up and refrigerant levels drop, the cycle of cooling the air is disrupted. Specifically, the evaporator coils – which need a certain amount of refrigerant in order to cool the surrounding air – can’t function the way they should. The air takes longer to cool – a problem in and of itself – and ice will form on the surface. This further prevents the coils from doing their job. Moreover, it introduces water into the system when the ice warms up. A drip pan is usually in place to collect condensate, but it may become clogged and overloaded with the extra moisture. The leaking water can cause further damage to any number of components, eventually necessitating significant repairs.
Simply cleaning the frost off won’t solve the problem. The low refrigerant levels are unchanged, which means the frost will simply build up again. You need a service technician to hunt down the source of the leak and seal it, then recharge the refrigerant levels to their optimum status.
Refrigerant is a key component in your AC system, and you need to keep it at optimum levels. If you ask “what can low refrigerant do to my air conditioning system?”, you’ve taken the first step to getting the problem corrected. Goettl Air Conditioning Tucson offers air conditioning repair in Catalina, AZ, and we have solid maintenance plans set up for your convenience. Call us today to set up an appointment.
