Having a working air conditioner is a year-round necessity in Florida, with our lengthy warm season and high humidity. You don’t want your AC to start losing its ability to give you cool air right when you need it the most. If your AC starts to blow warm air or is no longer properly lowering the temperature to the level you want, it might be the fault of low refrigerant. At the first sign of trouble, you should contact a professional to evaluate the problem and offer high quality repairs. Ierna’s Heating & Cooling can give you the air conditioning repair services you need in Tampa, FL.
“Refrigerant” refers to the special blend of chemicals that flows through your air conditioner on a closed loop. Through evaporation and condensation, the refrigerant moves hot air out of your home and to the outside, lowering the temperature inside your home to provide you with a comfortable environment. The amount of refrigerant in your AC is known as its “charge,” and during normal operation it will not dissipate.
But because of damage or improper maintenance, refrigerant can sometimes leak and lower your AC’s charge. Low refrigerant often leads to frost build-up around the condenser coils in the outdoor unit of your system. This kind of icing will prevent the coils from doing their job of heat exchange, with the result of less cool air blowing through your vents.
Low refrigerant can also cause your air conditioner to fail to turn on. Up-to-date HVAC systems have monitors installed in them that can detect when parts of the air conditioner are not working properly. This can trigger a fail-safe shut down so the problems caused by a loss of refrigerant won’t create more damage. There are other reasons that your AC might not turn on, but it is usually a warning sign of a serious problem that requires immediate attention.
Trying to fix low refrigerant levels isn’t something to attempt on your own. If you think your AC has lost some of its charge, call in a professional to check for leaks. A technician can repair any breaks and recharge the refrigerant to restore your air conditioner to its peak cooling abilities. For refrigerant problems and all other types of air conditioning repair in Tampa, FL, consult Ierna’s Heating & Cooling today.