Monthly Archives: September 2019

When Should I Recharge My AC?

Hands Holding Manometer to Measure How Much Refrigerant Is Needed.

Why Do You Have to Recharge AC?

When its hot outside, all you want is to escape the heat by turning up your AC. Unfortunately, there will be times when your air conditioner isn’t cooling properly. There could be several reasons for this–the air filter could be dirty, a part could be defective, or the air conditioner’s refrigerant needs to be recharged. A lot of people ask, “What is refrigerant recharge?” A refrigerant recharge is the process of adding more refrigerant to a system. Another thing that people ask is, “Can you recharge a home air conditioner?” It is important to note that new air conditioners should not need a refrigerant recharge–if the new air conditioner isn’t performing as it should, the problem could be that there is leak or that the air conditioner wasn’t installed correctly. However, if the air conditioner is on the older side, then its perfectly normal that it would need a refrigerant recharge. The reason that our AC’s refrigerant needs to be recharged is that the refrigerant draws heat from out of the air. Without the refrigerant, hot air would just be circulating in your home. So how do you know when you need a refrigerant recharge? There are a couple of ways to tell that your air conditioner needs to be recharged.

  • AC Runs But Doesn’t Cool Home: If your air conditioner is running all day and your home is still not cooling off, then it could be that the refrigerant needs recharging.
  • Increase in Energy Bills: An air conditioner that runs all day but doesn’t cool a home can make energy bills higher.
  • Vents Blow Air But it Isn’t Cool: A lack of refrigerant means that the air conditioner can’t pull out the heat in the air; this is in turn leads to warm air coming out of your vents.
  • Ice on Refrigerant Lines: When your air conditioner doesn’t have refrigerant it can cause ice to buildup on your unit’s refrigerant lines.
  • Bubbling and Hissing Sounds: If the reason for lack of cool air is a refrigerant leak, then you will be able to hear bubbling and hissing noises.

How Do You Recharge AC?

If your air conditioner’s refrigerant needs to be recharged, you might ask, “How to recharge refrigerant central air conditioner?” The first thing that needs to be done when adding more refrigerant is to connect the service valve to the compressor line. Next you will also want to connect a tap valve into the compressor line. Once that is complete, you will add refrigerant by attaching the canister of refrigerant to the service valve and tap valve. After everything is attached, you will need to turn on your air conditioner, which will then force the refrigerant to flow out of the container and into the unit. When the refrigerant has been added then you can detach the valves and the refrigerant canister from the air conditioner. You can either do this all on your own, or you can call a professional HVAC technician to take care of your refrigerant charging needs.

How Much Refrigerant Do I Need?

To know for sure how much refrigerant your air conditioner needs is to look at the label listed on the side of the unit or have your HVAC technician determine that for you. However, a common amount that some people go by is adding two or four pounds per ton. For example, if your air conditioner weighs five tons, then you would need 10 or 20 pounds of refrigerant. Every unit is different, so again, it is important to look at the label and check to see how much your particular unit needs.

Recharge Refrigerant Home AC

A Man Recharging AC Refrigerant.

Refrigerant Charging for AC

If you think that you need to recharge your air conditioner’s refrigerant, then you may be wondering, “How much does it cost to recharge AC?” There are a lot of factors that can determine how much recharging your refrigerant will be. How much refrigerant you currently have in your air conditioner, as well as the size of your AC will be factors that are taken into consideration. Other things that can determine the cost of refrigerant recharging is the time of year, location, and if you have a refrigerant leak. To find out if you need a refrigerant recharge in Bonaire and Warner Robins, GA, call Mission Critical Comfort Solutions! Not only do we offer air conditioning installation, we can also recharge refrigerant for your existing AC. In order to ensure your refrigerant is recharged correctly, you will want to work with a professional. You wouldn’t call just anyone for gutter installation, so you shouldn’t call just anyone for refrigerant recharging. Fortunately, our HVAC technicians are licensed and insured, so they have the skills and experience to do this type of service correctly. Contact us at 478-960-5825 and we can set up an appointment that is convenient for you.