The Secret About Air Conditioner Maintenance

That’ll Keep You Up at Night
Air Conditioning Components Most Likely to Break Down this Summer And Make You Hot, Tired and Cranky

Jerry’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning

4 July 2018

When it gets hot, it’s vitally important to focus your air conditioner maintenance on the single most frequent cause of AC failure. Refrigerant – the life-blood of your system – is often the culprit when AC systems fail.

Air conditioning systems may seem complex – and they are! In this series, we’re going to talk about the five main components: the compressor, fan, condenser coil, evaporator coil, and the refrigerant. If you want to avoid AC failure, you need to know how these components interact and how to guarantee a functioning system.

In part two of the series, we discuss the refrigerant, what it does and what you need to know to stay safe and in line with environmental regulations. Knowing the important facts of what refrigerant does can help make sure you’ll be cool all summer long.

Watch the Video

Air Conditioner Maintenance - Girl in the snow

Air Conditioner Maintenance Step #1 – Check for Leaks

The most common reason an air conditioning system fails is that the refrigerant has leaked out. You may know that evaporation is a cooling process. Think about how your body cools itself when it’s hot outside. When you perspire, your sweat “evaporates” and cools you down.

In an air conditioning system, refrigerant replaces sweat in this example. Evaporating refrigerant cools the hot air in your home. Without refrigerant, there’s no evaporation. No evaporation means no cooling, leaving you hot – perhaps in more than one way.

“If your AC unit is more than seven years old, you should consider an upgrade to one that uses R-410A”

R-410A Refrigerant

Recently, refrigerant R22 (also known as Freon), used in older AC units, has begun to be phased-out in favor of more environmentally friendly R-410A, sold under the trademarked names Suva 410A, Forane 410A, and Puron. If your AC unit is more than seven years old, you should consider an upgrade to one that uses R-410A. Find out why you should upgrade your AC refrigerant here.

R-410A absorbs and releases more heat than R-22 so your newer air conditioning compressor runs cooler, reducing the likelihood of overheating, burnout and failure. And because R-410A functions at a higher pressure than R-22, new compressors need to be built stronger so they’re more durable and therefore last longer.

Efficient & Environmentally Friendly

Compressors made for R-410A use synthetic lubrication. R-22 compressors use mineral oil. Synthetic oil is more soluble, lasts longer and maintains its operating viscosity under load. All that adds up to a system that operates more efficiently, reducing wear and tear on the compressor.

In addition, R-410A offers greater efficiency, saves money in energy costs, and is much better for the environment.

4 Reasons to Select R-410A Refrigerant

In this article, we discussed the first step in your air conditioner maintenance schedule, the refrigerant. More specifically, R-410A refrigerant, why it performs much better than its predecessor, R22, and why you should consider upgrading your compressor to one that uses R-410A. Here’s a recap of R-410A’s features:

R-410A compressors run cooler.
R-410A compressors operate more efficiently.
R-410A compressors are more durable and last longer.
R-410A saves money, and is better for the environment.

In the next article in this series, we’ll discuss the fan, the evaporation coil and the condenser coil, the forgotten heroes of air conditioner maintenance.

The licensed technicians at Jerry’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning are available to deliver quick and friendly service. Call Us Today!