Two Reasons Your AC Needs More Freon

“Our AC needs more freon!”

If we had a dime for every time we hear these five words every summer, we probably still couldn’t afford R-22.

Ok, that was a terrible attempt at an HVAC joke about R22, which was phased out worldwide on January 1, 2020, since it is shown to deplete the Ozone Layer. But Freon can be expensive, so we want you to understand why your system would potentially need more.

There are only TWO reasons your AC needs more freon.

Unlike the gas in your car, it doesn’t get used up. Freon is a gas at room temperature and a liquid when cooled or compressed. It’s added to your AC system into a closed loop system and continuously recycled. So if there isn’t enough in there for your system to operate effectively, there are only two explanations:

  1. There’s a leak in your system! Not completely unavoidable, but definitely fixable. Refrigerant leaks can happen for many reasons and are more likely to appear as your system ages (especially over 10 years). And hopefully by now, you’ve replaced your old, R-22 system so you won’t be hit with a hefty charge for using a dinosaur of a refrigerant that is very low in supply. Before we can tell you the cost of the refrigerant, we will need to do a thorough evaluation and potentially a leak search.
  2. Not enough freon was added when the system was installed. If you have a brand new system (less than a year old), chances of having a leak aren’t zero, but they are pretty low. So a reasonable explanation for not having enough refrigerant is that is possibly wasn’t charged accurately to begin with. It happens! And can be adjusted easily.

Prevention is key!

The best way to avoid the annual “Our AC needs more freon!” call and keep your cooling system operating efficiently all summer is through annual maintenance (included in your Comfort Club membership) or Tr-JUVenations (if you’re not a member). Similar to a tune-up on your car, our highly-trained technicians will thoroughly check and test all components for potential safety issues as well as conduct a 71-point diagnostic, which includes measuring your freon levels to insure they are correct.

To schedule your maintenance or learn about our Comfort Club, call (757) 868-7600 or fill out the form below!

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