Summer is upon us in Broken Arrow, and the air conditioner is something that everyone expects to work as well as last year. However, many homeowners are unaware that they should be checking their refrigerant charge to ensure effective and efficient cooling throughout the hottest part of the year. In a perfect world, your air conditioner would dutifully perform its job until the end of its warranty, but in reality, preventive maintenance is necessary to keep it cooling as it should.
Reasons to Check Refrigerant Charge
An air conditioner is a complex system of copper tubing, compressor and an evaporator coil that should be sealed to keep refrigerant inside. However, minor refrigerant leaks can occur that are not quite bad enough to purge the system of coolant completely. These leaks can cause enough of a leak that your A/C unit has a hard time keeping up with cooling needs in the dead of summer. If this happens, you will need to have your refrigerant charge topped off. Common causes for leaks include:
Faulty parts
Worn connectors
Corrosion eating through components
Vibrations causing holes in copper line
Schedule a Service Call
Whether you notice your A/C unit struggling to keep up with your annual cooling needs or not, it is a good idea to have a certified technician come out and check your refrigerant charge. Not only will this keep your unit running as efficiently as it should, it may also warn you of any impending problems you may have. Large leaks have to be fixed, and it is much better to discover them before the heat makes waiting on a service call miserable. Setting some time aside to make the call to your local service center to have a technician come out is a small investment considering the benefits of a properly tuned air conditioner.
Keeping your A/C functioning takes active involvement, and if you need expert advice or maintenance, please contact us at Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning, Plumbing. We have been industry leaders in the Broken Arrow region for nearly three decades.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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