What Does the AC Refrigerant in My Air Conditioner Actually Do?

The air conditioner in your Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, home requires several components to cool it effectively. But in terms of the cooling process, there’s almost nothing more important than AC refrigerant. Here are a few things you need to know about how AC refrigerant works and how to tell when your air conditioner is low on this vital substance.

What AC Refrigerant Does

The refrigerant in your air conditioning system is more responsible than almost anything else when it comes to keeping your home cool. Your air conditioner works to transfer refrigerant into and out of your home to control the temperature.

When the refrigerant is inside your house, it absorbs the heat energy in the air to lower the temperature in your home and keep it that way. As the refrigerant captures the heat energy, it transitions from a gas to a liquid and moves outside of the house. While the liquid refrigerant moves through a coil, hot air blows over the coils, releasing the heat energy outside of your house. Then, the refrigerant changes from a liquid to a gas and moves back into your home to start the cooling process again.

AC Refrigerant Leaks and Levels

Your air conditioner needs the proper amount of refrigerant to function properly. When AC refrigerant starts leaking out of your system or the levels dip, you may notice a variety of problems with your system. For starters, you may see higher energy bills because your system will need to work harder to cool your house when there’s a lack of refrigerant.

If your AC refrigerant is leaking or low, you may also notice that warm instead of cool air is blowing from your supply vents. Finally, if the coils in your air conditioner freeze, a refrigerant leak is the likely cause.

If you believe there’s a problem with the refrigerant in your air conditioner, you can get help by calling North Beach Services Heating and Cooling at (252) 429-5325. We’ll inspect your AC system for leaks and fix the issue so that it runs well.

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