Effects of Running an AC System Low on Refrigerant

If you’re a homeowner in Monticello, FL, you know how critical your home’s air conditioner is to your comfort. If your home’s AC system runs low on refrigerant, though, it might not work when you need it most. Here are the detrimental effects of running an AC system with low refrigerant:

Electricity Costs Will Rise

Your home’s air conditioning system needs a certain amount of refrigerant to operate efficiently. When its refrigerant runs low, it’ll lose cooling power and send your electricity costs soaring. Eventually, it’ll lose the ability to maintain the temperature you set, and you’ll have no choice but to call for an AC repair service.

Evaporator Coils Could Freeze

The refrigerant in your home’s AC system chills an evaporator coil that your home’s air passes through to cool down. As that happens, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air and carries it outside the building to get rid of it. Without enough refrigerant to absorb the heat, the evaporator coils can freeze and block the airflow to the rooms you’re trying to keep cool.

Could Burn Out Your Compressor

If you operate your home’s AC system without enough refrigerant for long enough, you could do serious damage to the compressor. The compressor’s job is to remove the absorbed heat from the refrigerant and send it back inside, cold and ready to cool more air. If there’s not enough refrigerant present, the compressor could burn out and require costly repairs or replacement.

Any way you look at it, running your home’s AC system while it’s low on refrigerant is a bad idea. It’ll lead to increased operating costs and eventually damage the system. To avoid that, call Central Heating Consultants today to set up an HVAC maintenance appointment so we can check your system’s refrigerant levels and correct them as necessary.

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