The Comfort Experts - Refrigerant

Hey, this is Derrick Cole along with William Skipper and welcome to the Comfort Experts. Today we're talking about refrigerant. According to Energy Star, incorrect refrigerant level can lower your efficiency by 5 to 20%. Now William, why would somebody have a low refrigerant level?

Well, there are only two reasons that I can think of, Derrick. One is your system has developed a leak and your refrigerant obviously has leaked out or You've had an unqualified technician work on your system and didn't quite understand what was going on and might have overcharged or undercharged your system.

Right. And improper charge could actually cause premature failure.

That's right. It can cause a compressor to run hot, run at high amps, and can cause the compressor to fail prematurely.

So we get this phone call all during the year. You know, I need to get my system filled up. I need more refrigerant. Is that—

I mean, should that be happening? No, you should not ever have to to recharge your system. Your system is— it's a sealed system, and once it comes from the factory, it's factory charged with the charge that is designed for that system to operate it at its peak performance. If someone ever tells you you need to recharge your system, you need to talk about trying to locate the leak.

Right. And depending on the install, when it's time for your system to be installed, it comes with that factory charge, and depending on how long the line set or the copper line set is away from the unit depends on how much refrigerant you add to it. A proper install is really the key as well.

That's correct.

So it's a sealed system, kind of like your body. And I like to equate it to your body and the fact that, you know, I have A-positive blood and all of a sudden if I start spewing blood, I don't say, hey, give me some more A-positive, I need, I need a refill. No, you stop the bleeding. Same way with the refrigerant.

And sometimes that leak might, you know, depending on the age of the system, might be to the point where you say, hey, repairs a little bit more, let's look at a new system. But you need to— if you're going to keep the system, you need to try to find that leak so you won't continually be adding refrigerant.

So get a qualified professional to take a look at it and give us a call if you need.

Today's episode was brought to you by the Comfort Experts. See us for all your heating and air conditioning needs. For more information, visit 1houraircarolinas.com. That's 1houraircarolinas.com.