Air Conditioning 101: Everything You Need to Know About The Aircon Refrigerant

If you have a house of your own, maybe you will think about what is the best way to make your house be as comfortable as ever to live in? There are definitely many ways that can be done to make the house more comfortable. One of which is by using an air conditioner.

Being able to effectively provide cool air for a room, make an air conditioner become one of the most needed and useful electronic appliances among the other machines in a house!

What is an Aircon Refrigerant?

Refrigerant is a chlorofluorocarbon gas (CFC) that is used as a coolant in the air conditioner. For an air conditioner to work optimally, the refrigerant level must be checked at least once every six months.

Though in actuality refrigerant is one of the most long-lasting components in an air conditioner and has a long shelf life (more than 3 years). But sometimes certain conditions can drive a leak problem and cause the refrigerant level to drop. Therefore, you need to do proper maintenance so that the air conditioner lasts longer.

Because refrigerant is in the form of gas without any smells or shape, it is so easy for us to not realize it when there is a leak happening. We can go about our day without knowing that actually, something wrong is happening to our air conditioner. On top of that, a refrigerant leak will not only make the air conditioner not cold but it can also take a toll on our health. If we get exposed and inhale the gas for a long time, it can cause skin and eye irritation, shortness of breath, and other health-related problems.

The Benefits of An Aircon Refrigerant 

  • Refrigerants are affordable. Thus, whenever you need to top up aircon gas, you don’t have to pay much for it. 
  • Cooling a room with refrigerant gas can also be done quickly, thus you don’t need a long time to be able to feel the cold air from the air conditioner unit.
  • It is very easy to top it up whenever the gas level is low.

The Disadvantages of An Aircon Refrigerant 

  • Air conditioner refrigerant doesn’t have an odor, so you have to be more careful when it leaks because the gas contents can run out quickly.
  • It has a very bad impact on the ozone layer, especially if the gas leaks and flows into the outside air.
  • Basically refrigerant does not have a high toxicity level, but this gas will still be very dangerous if it is physically exposed to the human body, particularly on wet membranes on the body such as the eyes.
  • When inhaled in large quantities, it can make a person faint from poisoning. 

3 Main Signs Air Conditioner Refrigerant is Running Out

Refrigerant is the one thing that helps to turn the air produced by air conditioners to feel colder. Thus, if along the way the refrigerant level is decreasing, it will eventually affect the air conditioner’s performance.

Aircon does not produce cold air

The easiest way to guess whether an air conditioner’s refrigerant level is compromised is by checking the air being released by the air conditioner. If it only emits wind and not cold air, then you can guess that the refrigerant has run out.

One of the causes why an air conditioner can not properly cool a room is due to lack of pressure on the refrigerant which makes the air conditioner unable to work according to its function.

The outdoor unit is not generating heat

When you have a sufficient amount of refrigerant in your air conditioner, the outdoor fan of the unit will work properly and thus be able to generate heat. And if upon checking and touching, you don’t feel any heat from the outdoor unit – then it is safe to say that there is something wrong with your air conditioner. One of the main causes of the problem could be lacking refrigerant. Thus, you will need to contact a professional immediately.

Blinking indicator light

The blinking indicator light is also a sign that your air conditioner is experiencing an error in its component. One of the main reasons this happens can also be because of a lack of refrigerant. But keep in mind that you have no way of knowing the reason, without hiring professional technicians to troubleshoot the problem.

These are the three main signs that your air conditioner may experience when its refrigerant level is compromised and needs a top-up. If you face these problems mentioned above, it is best to immediately call for professional help. Thus they can immediately help you to figure out what to do next. 

Vivek is a published author of Meidilight and a cofounder of Zestful Outreach Agency. He is passionate about helping webmaster to rank their keywords through good-quality website backlinks. In his spare time, he loves to swim and cycle. You can find him on Twitter and Linkedin.