The refrigerant in your air conditioner gets a lot of attention, and it’s almost impossible to discuss air conditioning repair or maintenance without a mention of it. Therefore, it’s natural to wonder how a drop in the levels of this substance can affect your comfort levels at home.

When we hear “Does low refrigerant affect AC performance?” as Humble’s trusted AC repair experts, it’s always a straightforward “yes” from us. We’ll expand on that answer in this article.

What Is an AC Refrigerant?

The AC refrigerant is the compound coursing through your air conditioner’s coils. The type of refrigerant you have inside your air conditioner comes down to the age of your system.  

Air conditioners older than ten years most likely have Freon (R22) as the refrigerant; however, the government phased out R22 in 2020. All modern systems now use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), such as R410A and R134. They are the refrigerants you’re likely to find in your modern air conditioner.

The Role of Refrigerant in Keeping Your House Cool

The refrigerant absorbs heat from your indoor air by transitioning from a low-pressure gas to a high-pressure liquid.

It then moves through the copper coils to the outdoor unit, where it cools down and transitions back to a low-pressure gas again and returns cool air into the space. The cycle repeats for as long as the air conditioner stays turned on.

Does low refrigerant affect AC performance if other components are working well? The other parts of your air conditioner help move the refrigerant around and distribute the cool air.

Thus, it’s good to have them in excellent shape. However, without the refrigerant, they will mostly be working in vain. The refrigerant is the only reason your air conditioner can reduce the heat and humidity in any space.

What Happens When Refrigerant Is Low?

When refrigerant is low, your air conditioner will stop working at its optimum capacity. Some of the top signs of low refrigerant include the following:

Why Do Refrigerant Levels Become Low?

Refrigerant levels become low due to leaks in the coil system housing the refrigerant. Some of the common causes of these leaks include the following:

Prevent and Repair Refrigerant Leaks with Crew Heating & Cooling

An air conditioner low on refrigerant is a problem every homeowner in Texas will not want to face. The weather here can be unforgiving in the summer. Therefore, you need to move quickly when you suspect refrigerant leaks.

Apart from improving your comfort, repairing refrigerant leaks and topping off the refrigerant levels can help you avoid unnecessary expenses. At Crew Heating & Cooling, we can repair refrigerant leaks in all air conditioner models. Our technicians can spot the source of the leaks quickly and complete the repairs in one visit.

We will also recommend an AC maintenance schedule to help prevent future leaks and spot potential problems before they become visible. Do you want further discussions on the topic “Does low refrigerant affect AC performance?” Are you interested in scheduling refrigerant leak repairs?

Call the Crew Heating & Cooling team in Humble, TX, today at (832) 402-1681 to book an appointment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *