How to Test the Refrigerant Levels in Your HVAC Unit

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You probably don't think much about the refrigerant in your AC or heat pump unless there's something wrong. If the refrigerant charge in your system is incorrect, it can cause damage. How do you know if your refrigerant levels are off? Here are signs to look for, as well as how to test the refrigerant levels yourself.

Signs of an Incorrect Refrigerant Charge

There are several signs of low refrigerant. First, if your energy bills suddenly increase, that could be the reason. Without enough refrigerant, your system has to run longer to heat or cool your home. Likewise, you may notice that the air coming from your vents isn't as cold as it should be.

If you hear hissing or bubbling noises from your unit, that could also indicate a leak, as the coolant escapes in either gas or liquid form. Finally, if your evaporator coil ices over, it may be a sign of low refrigerant.

It's also possible to have too much refrigerant. If the coolant line is overfilled, it prevents the switch from gas to liquid. This in turn floods your compressor, causing serious damage.

Testing Refrigerant

Many of the symptoms of low refrigerant can also be signs of other things. If you want to know for sure, you'll need to test your refrigerant levels. There are several tests that require specialized equipment. However, there's also a much simpler way to get a quick reading.

First, while your system is running, look for two copper pipes covered in insulation that are connected to your condenser coil on the outdoor unit. These are your refrigerant lines. Peel back the insulation from the larger line and check the temperature. It should feel cool to the touch.

You can also measure with a thermometer. If the temperature of the pipe's surface is between 50 and 60 degrees, your refrigerant is fine. If it's colder or warmer, your levels are low. Don't try to resolve refrigerant problems yourself. Call your HVAC technician to recharge your refrigerant.

If your refrigerant levels need charging, contact us at Air Assurance. We're Broken Arrow's trusted source for quality home-comfort solutions.

What Is a Thermostatic Expansion Valve and How Does It Work?

Your HVAC system has a host of complex components, all of which serve essential functions in heating and cooling your home. Take the thermostatic expansion valve (TXV), for instance. What does it do and why is it important? Let's take a look.

What Is the Thermostatic Expansion Valve?

The TXV is designed to improve AC efficiency. Simply put, it controls the flow of refrigerant as it flows into the evaporator. I.e., as it turns from a liquid to a gas. By limiting the refrigerant flow, the thermostatic expansion valve allows for more efficient heat transfer.

It also helps keep your AC system from breaking down. The controlled release ensures that all the refrigerant has been turned to vapor when it leaves the evaporator and enters the compressor. If liquid refrigerant is allowed to enter the compressor, it can cause serious damage to your unit.

Problems With Your Thermostatic Expansion Valve

In order to regulate refrigerant flow properly, your thermostatic expansion valve must open a specific amount at a specific time. If it opens too wide, then too much refrigerant flows through the evaporator. If it doesn't open wide enough or doesn't open at all, then the refrigerant won't reach the evaporator.

This is usually caused by moisture or other contaminants in the system which jam the TXV, causing it to stick. It's a simple-enough problem to fix, though it's not always easy to diagnose. This is because the symptoms of the problem look similar to those of a low refrigerant charge. A technician may see the problem, assume the system needs more refrigerant, and recharge it. However, this will typically only damage the TXV further.

This is why it's important to hire an HVAC technician who knows what they're doing and can diagnose issues properly. An expert knows what signs to look for and how to tell the difference between low refrigerant and a broken TXV, ensuring a proper diagnosis.

For expert help with your thermostatic expansion valve and any other HVAC components, contact us at Air Assurance. We know how to keep Broken Arrow's home-comfort systems running smoothly and efficiently.

What Would Require an AC Hose Repair?

You may be surprised that one of the most frequent, damaging, and expensive AC fixes is an AC hose repair or a condensate line repair. What often happens is the AC hose becomes clogged or the pump fails, and then water spills over inside the home. This water could damage ceilings, walls, flooring, and other areas where the AC is located. To help prevent that from happening to you, we've put together common reasons for an AC hose repair and fixes for you to keep handy.

How an AC Condensate Hose Works

Your central AC system is designed to keep your home cool by removing heat energy from circulating air. During this process, moisture and humidity are also removed. This moisture collects on a coil and drips into a condensate pan. The condensate flows into a hose or pipe. The hose may lead to a pump, where the water is pumped out of your home, or the hose may lead outside and drain the water out by gravity. When something goes wrong with either process, you need AC hose repair.

Nesting Place

You don't use your AC all year long. During the months that it's not in use, the AC hose makes a perfect place for bugs and tiny critters to nest. Nests and other debris can cause a blockage in the AC hose, which would require an AC hose repair by your HVAC technician. The hose needs to be blown or sucked out to clear the line.

Malfunctioning Condensate Pump

Another problem that would require an AC hose repair is a problem with the condensate pump. The condensate pump should be located by the indoor AC unit. There is probably a 1-inch PVC pipe extending into the pump to drip condensate. Check the pump to see if it is cracked and leaking water. Next, if the pump is full and not working, it's best to replace the pump. Turn off your AC and call your technician.

If you need professional HVAC assistance with an AC hose repair in your Broken Arrow-area home, please contact the pros at Air Assurance!

How to Keep Up with Your HVAC Coils

HVAC coils are the air conditioning components that capture heat and move it out of your home. After they’ve done their job, what’s left behind inside the house is cool comfort, even on the hottest day. Here’s how the AC refrigerant cycle utilizes HVAC coils to keep your home cool:

• Refrigerant circulating through the evaporator coil in the indoor air handler extracts household heat from the system airflow.

• Refrigerant flows through insulated tubing to the outdoor AC unit, where heat molecules are compressed by the compressor.

• As refrigerant enters the outdoor condenser coil, absorbed indoor heat is dispersed into outdoor air.

• The flow of refrigerant returns to the indoor evaporator coil and continues extracting heat from the home.

Things That Go Wrong with Coils

Because HVAC coils are exposed to indoor system airflow and outdoor weather, they may accumulate dirt and dust that reduces heat-transfer efficiency and increases AC operating costs. Also, coil corrosion and deterioration may trigger refrigerant leaks, potentially damaging critical system components like the expensive compressor.

How to Keep HVAC Coils Fully Functional

Most coil maintenance is not a DIY project. The indoor evaporator coil is sealed inside the indoor air handler and inaccessible to the average homeowner. Servicing the outdoor condenser coil requires removal of the housing to access the coil and the fan.

The most important step to maintain HVAC coils is to schedule annual preventative maintenance for your air conditioner that's provided by a qualified HVAC technician. This service includes inspecting both coils as well as cleaning away dust and dirt accumulation on coil surfaces. Annual professional maintenance also includes checking AC refrigerant charge and, if necessary, tracking down leaks in the system, including HVAC coils. 

There's one do-it-yourself task that helps sustain coil function: Cut back weeds, bushes, and other obstructions that may block air circulation into the outdoor unit that houses the condenser coil. Keep at least two feet of open space on all sides of the unit to ensure proper airflow.

For professional service to keep your HVAC coils fully functional and your house comfortably cool, contact the professionals at Air Assurance.

Refrigerant 101: What it is and Why it Matters

You don’t need a course in Refrigerant 101 to know whether your air conditioner’s keeping the house cool on a summer day. Without refrigerant circulating in the cooling system, we’d all be a lot less comfortable in hot weather. Here are more basics of Refrigerant 101 and how this remarkable substance handles the household cooling load.

The Cycle Of Coolness

In your central air conditioner, refrigerant passing through the indoor evaporator coil is a frigid vapor that efficiently absorbs household heat from the system airflow. After passing through an insulated line to your outdoor condenser unit, refrigerant is compressed into a hot liquid and rapidly releases absorbed heat into the air as it passes through the condenser coil. The refrigerant flow then circles back to the indoor evaporator, converting to a cold vapor again to extract still more heat from your home.

Low Refrigerant Means A Leak

Air conditioners don’t “use up” refrigerant. Theoretically, as long as the system is intact and functional, it should not require addition of extra refrigerant. If your A/C exhibits signs of a low refrigerant charge—such as poor cooling performance, ice formation on the indoor coil or rapid on/off cycling—there’s usually a leak somewhere in the system. Simply adding more refrigerant without resolving the leak isn't a solution that lasts. Call for professional HVAC service to pinpoint the problem, repair the leak, then restore the refrigerant to the proper level.

Old Refrigerant Is Going Away

R-22 refrigerant, the industry standard in air conditioners for decades, is being removed from the market due to environmental concerns. It will become completely unavailable in 2020. All new A/C units manufactured today utilize R-410A refrigerant, the environmentally-friendly replacement for R-22. As 2020 approaches, expect R-22 to become increasingly less available and more expensive. Ultimately, all R-22 units will have to be replaced with new R-410 units by 2020.

To learn more about the basics of Refrigerant 101, contact the cooling experts at Air Assurance.

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). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

The Basics of Refrigerant

Many homeowners take for granted their residence's heating and cooling systems without having more than a basic idea of how they work. While a gas furnace is relatively easy to understand, systems that rely upon the refrigeration process are more complicated. Yet, understanding how your air conditioner or heat pump works to condition your home will help you troubleshoot problems in the future.

How Does an Air Conditioner Work?

It's incorrect to think that an A/C cools the outside air, then draws it into the house. Air conditioners (and the cooling mode of heat pumps) actually extract heat energy from inside air, with the removal of heat resulting in cooler air. Refrigerant, a chemical formula also referred to as coolant, does the actual work of taking heat from the air, and then expelling that heat into the outside air. The ability of coolant to easily transition between a liquid and gas drives the refrigeration process.

In the most common type of air conditioner, the split system, a compressor pumps a refrigerant solution into the home, where it runs through copper coils in the air handler/evaporator unit. An expansion valve eases pressure on the liquid refrigerant, allowing it to evaporate and convert into a gas. The liquid-to-gas conversion extracts heat from air that's being blown across the evaporator coil, reducing the air temperature. A fan in the air handler (or furnace) then circulates the conditioned air throughout the house. Eventually, it's drawn back into the inside A/C unit to be cooled again.

The refrigerant, in a gaseous state, is then pumped outside to the condenser/compressor unit, where the gas is compressed and changes back to a liquid. As this happens, the stored heat in the refrigerant is released into air as it's blown across the condenser coil, and then dissipates into the outside environment. The coolant, returned to liquid stage, flows back into the house, and the process repeats.

To learn more about how your A/C or heat pump brings comfort to your Broken Arrow area home, please contact us at Air Assurance.

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). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Alhovik/Shutterstock”

Central A/C Features to Keep in Mind When Looking for a New System

Central air conditioners tend to have long life spans of 10 to 15 years on average, but sooner or later, the time comes for A/C replacement. If your cooling system is nearing the end of its days, the following advice can help you understand what central A/C features to look for when you're shopping for a new system.

The Right Size

A system sized too large for a home's cooling load will short cycle, running inefficiently and failing to remove moisture. The home's occupants will feel clammy and need to turn the thermostat down to keep comfortable. A system sized too small will run continuously, straining to meet thermostat settings.Both situations overwork parts and can lead to breakdowns and potential system failures. Get the right size by insisting your contractor use Manual J software to determine cooling load, Manual D software for ductwork, and Manual S to determine the size of the cooling system.

SEER

SEER is an acronym for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. The minimum SEER mandated for air conditioners by the Environmental Protection Agency is currently 14 for systems manufactured after Jan. 1, 2015, and 13 for systems manufactured prior. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the equipment, as long as it's sized and installed properly. Use SEER to guide you when comparing similar models.

Quiet Operation

Noisy air conditioners that cycle on with a rumble and a bang are annoying and can interfere with sleep and entertainment. Look for brands and models known for quiet operation, and use consumer ratings and reviews to guide you or ask your contractor for recommendations.

Desirable Features

Modern air conditioners offer a number of convenient and efficient features. Some have a thermal expansion valve to modulate refrigerant flow for greater efficiency, or a variable speed air handler. A fan-only switch allows homeowners to turn on ventilation and reduce A/C use.

For more on central A/C features, contact Air Assurance. We've been providing our Broken Arrow customers quality HVAC service since 1985.

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). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “James J. Flanigan/Shutterstock”

Troubleshooting Steps to Follow When Dealing With Frozen Evaporator Coils

Troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils may suggest several causes for the symptom, but the actual cure usually requires the services of a professional HVAC technician. The evaporator coil sealed inside the indoor air handler removes heat from the air and transfers it to the flow of refrigerant circulating through the coil.

While the refrigerant flow is cold—around 40 degrees—it should always remain above freezing. If the refrigerant drops below 32 degrees, condensation produced by the cooling process freezes on the coil surfaces instead of draining away. As the ice formation expands, airflow through the coil is increasingly obstructed, the system begins running non-stop instead of cycling on and off, and severe A/C component damage may result.Here are some potential causes to aid in troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils:

Insufficient Airflow

Air volume through the coil affects the amount of heat energy absorbed by refrigerant. When the airflow is low, heat transfer is diminished and the refrigerant temperature may drift into the freezing range. The most common cause of low airflow is a dirty or clogged air filter. Try replacing the air filter and see if coil freezing problems resolve. If not, contact your HVAC contractor about professional service.

Lack of Refrigerant

Another reason refrigerant may drop below freezing is because there’s not enough of it in the system. A low refrigerant charge is almost always the result of a leak somewhere, and it can't be adequately resolved by simply adding more refrigerant. A qualified HVAC technician can use leak detection methods to pinpoint the leakage and make a permanent fix.

Dirt or Dust Accumulation

Continuously exposed to system airflow, an evaporator coil often becomes coated with airborne dust or dirt. This residue on coil surfaces inhibits heat transfer into the refrigerant and triggers sub-freezing temperatures. Ice forms as condensation freezes. The sealed evaporator coil is not accessible for DIY cleaning. However, coil inspection and cleaning are a standard part of an annual A/C preventive maintenance service provided by your HVAC contractor.

For more about troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils, as well as professional service to resolve the cause, contact Air Assurance.

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).  Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Raywoo/Shutterstock”

How to Troubleshoot an A/C That Is Blowing Hot Air

How to Troubleshoot an A/C That Is Blowing Hot Air

There are many reasons why your A/C may be blowing hot air. This guide will outline five of the most common issues to help you understand what you can fix yourself and when to call a professional for assistance. But first, before you go through this checklist, make sure your thermostat wasn’t switched to heat mode. It could have been switched on accidentally, and it's best to check off the obvious issues first.

Issues With Your Outdoor Condensing Unit

Your outdoor condensing unit compresses and controls the refrigerant's flow through the cooling unit and must be running properly for the system to remove heat from the home. If the condenser is off, it could be as simple a fix as resetting the breaker or as complex as replacing the compressor.

Overheated or Faulty A/C Compressor

The A/C compressor is housed in the outdoor condensing unit. There are several potential problems that could occur within the compressor parts, so it must be examined closely by a professional.

Dirty Air Filter

A dirty air filter will cut off airflow to the A/C coil, waste energy and stress system components. Your filters should be changed following the manufacturer’s recommendations, usually every 30 to 60 days.

Low Refrigerant Levels

This is the most common issue when an A/C is blowing hot air. Refrigerant may be low because of an improper charge during installation, or you may have a small leak. In either case, you'll need an expert to recharge the system and make any necessary repairs.

Unit Not Properly Maintained

Most home comfort systems are taken for granted and ignored until they fail. Routine preventive maintenance can catch small problems before they become repair or replace issues and save you money long-term.

If your A/C is blowing hot air and you need it fixed quickly, please contact us at Air Assurance. We provide quality HVAC preventative maintenance and services to Broken Arrow and the greater Tulsa area.

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). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Mile Atanasov/Shutterstock”