Did you know that the air conditioner in your Sea Island, Georgia, home works by absorbing warm air instead of creating cool air? Your AC absorbs warm air by sending refrigerant, a cooling compound designed to absorb heat, through a system of coils located within the HVAC system.
What Happens When Refrigerant Levels Get Low?
Without adequate refrigerant, your air conditioner simply cannot cool your home. When refrigerant levels get low, your AC will continue to run, but it won’t cool effectively. Your unit will work harder to keep warm air out of your home, straining the system and driving up utility bills. If levels remain low for too long, the system could break down.
How Does an AC Unit Use Refrigerant?
Air conditioners house the refrigerant, also known as coolant, in copper coils located throughout the system. The copper coils direct the refrigerant inside and outside your home in a process that occurs repeatedly every time your air conditioner runs.
Evaporator Coil
First, your HVAC unit draws warm interior air in through the return vent. That warm air then passes over the indoor unit’s cold evaporator coil. At this point, the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator coil absorbs the heat from that interior air and turns to gas form. This process cools the air and directs it back into the living space.
Compressor Unit
Next, the refrigerant travels to the outdoor unit — which houses the compressor and condenser — in gas form. The compressor pressurizes the gas and passes it to the condenser to be cooled and returned to liquid form.
Condenser Unit
Finally, the pressurized refrigerant gas reaches the condenser unit. Here, a fan pulls the refrigerant through the condenser and expels the heat out of the unit. This process returns the refrigerant to liquid form and sends it back to the indoor unit to begin the process again.
The professionals at The A/C Guys will check your refrigerant levels at every service visit to keep your system cooling efficiently and effectively. Give us a call at 912-268-1514. We’d love to help you keep your AC in top working order.
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