AC systems depend on AC refrigerant to cool your home.  I know it sounds simple but the importance is often overlooked.  As an air conditioning system gets into it’s golden years, having proper amounts of r410a or r22 refrigerant are vital to how the system runs.  Proper maintenance which includes a routine ac recharge can add years to the life of your air conditioning unit.

This is a pretty simple concept.  If your AC unit doesn’t have proper coolant levels, it will run more often to hit the temperature you set on your thermostat.  The longer your condenser runs, the more stress is being put on it.

Your system will effectively cool your home using much less energy.  This will immediately decrease your energy costs and save you money on your monthly electric bill.

It can save your system and add years to it’s lifespan.  The less your condenser has to run to cool your homes, the longer it will live.  An AC Recharge also helps prevent your system from overworking itself during extremely hot days.  This cuts down on the chances of minor to average malfunctions with your condenser.  The perfect example of something like this would be frozen refrigerant lines.  When an AC unit is running too frequently, refrigerant lines can freeze up preventing the condenser from cooling your home.

The price of an AC recharge will be dramatically different depending on what type of AC refrigerant your systems runs off of.  Before scheduling an AC recharge, we always recommend finding this out.  On most AC units, it will be listed on the side of the compressor.

Over two decades ago, congress passed a bill phasing out r22 refrigerant.  This was during a period in time where scientists realized there was a big hole forming in the ozone layer.  It was replaced with a more environmentally friendly refrigerant we know as r410a.  The problem was that manufacturers kept selling equipment that operated on r22 refrigerant up until 2010.  That has left many homeowners with fully functional equipment with a short supply of refrigerant to operate them on.  If your AC unit operates on r22, replacing your unit can often make financial sense both short term and long term.

If your central air system currently runs on r410a, we recommend having your ac recharged at the beginning of each Spring.  Here is why:

• R410a units in most cases are newer than r22 units.  Newer equipment often is more efficient and comes at a higher cost.  Having an annual AC recharge can help protect your investment.
• R410a refrigerant comes at a fraction of the cost of r22 making it much more affordable to have regularly maintained.
• As non-environmentally friendly as r22 refrigerant is, it remains incredibly effective at cooling homes.  Some believe much better than r410a.  So if your ac system runs on r410a, you want to make sure your system is maintaining proper levels to maximize your systems performance.

If you suspect you might need to have your AC unit recharged and would like to have your coolant levels checked, give us a call.  Vitt checks coolant levels as part of our 35 point AC tune up.  Not only will we clean your AC unit, but will also let you know if your system is in need of any additional maintenance.  All without any pressure sales tactics.  Our technicians have all types of coolant on location to recharge your AC and have your system performing like it’s new in no time.  To schedule an AC tune up today, call us at (314) 351-5580 or fill out the online contact form below.