What Happens If Your Air Conditioner Has a Low Level of Refrigerant?

To effectively cool your home during the summer months, your air conditioning unit absorbs heat and releases it outdoors. In the meantime, it also keeps the interior of your home comfortable with cool, conditioned air. The “heat exchange” process involves repeated evaporation and condensation cycles powered by your unit’s refrigerant. Like all air conditioners, your unit should have a set charge level in order to provide the right balance for heat exchange.

But what happens if your unit has a low refrigerant level? Our air conditioning and heat pump repair team at Tyler shares their insight below: 

Low Refrigerant Greatly Affects Your System

A low refrigerant level is usually caused by leaks along the line or in your air conditioning system’s compressor. You won’t usually notice refrigerant dripping from your unit because it evaporates as it escapes. Instead, you’ll first notice frost forming over the indoor coils. This is because the low refrigerant charge won’t be enough to warm up the evaporator coil. The remaining refrigerant becomes too cold, leading to moisture freezing on the coil.

A low refrigerant level will also affect your air conditioning system’s cooling ability. This is because your unit won’t absorb heat through the indoor coils as effectively as it should, which will affect your home’s indoor comfort levels. This can also lead to more breakdowns and even premature failure. To prevent this from happening, have your system recharged by a trusted air conditioning and furnace replacement technician as soon as possible.

Let the Professionals Recharge Your Air Conditioner

Attempting to recharge your air conditioning system yourself isn’t a good idea, even if you have some experience in AC maintenance. You can’t guarantee a successful repair, and you run the risk of damaging your system. You’re better off hiring a trusted technician who has adequate experience in recharging air conditioning systems.

As the best air conditioning company in the area, you can trust Tyler for all your air conditioning maintenance needs. Talk to us today by calling (203) 378-4700, or you can fill out our online contact form.