An air conditioner uses a refrigerant for the cooling process, and this refrigerant is hazardous to the environment, in general, if it is released. Air conditioning contractors in Austin recommend an annual inspection every year to check the refrigerant levels in an air conditioning system. You must have heard the term, leaky AC; it means that the air conditioner is leaking refrigerant or water. Most residential air conditioners use Freon, and this is a controlled substance, deemed hazardous by the environment protection agencies all over the world. If it leaks, it can cause depletion of the ozone layer. If plain water is leaking from the air conditioner, it is not dangerous, but it can affect the efficiency and working of the air conditioner. As an air conditioner user, you should not add or change the Freon level in the air conditioner on your own.
According to environment protection laws, only an expert HVAC technician in Austin can install or remove refrigerant in an air conditioner. If there is a leaky AC, only an expert should handle it. Any loss of the refrigerant is not only harmful for the environment, but it will also reduce the efficiency of the AC. A 10% loss of Freon can cause an increase in the utility bills by as much as 20%. Low levels of Freon can also cause compressor failure, and wear and tear of the evaporator coils. A Freon leak should not go undetected, as it is very dangerous for the environment. These are chlorofluorocarbons, if inhaled these can cause a variety of health problems. An annual inspection every year can help in detecting the leaks. If you detect it yourself, you must call in a professional to repair it.
The latest air conditioner models on the market use a safer option of Freon, which is R410-A. An air conditioner does not consume its refrigerant, so it should stay at the same level from the time it was installed. A leak can happen due to physical damage to the air conditioner, lack of maintenance, or from old age. It may not be possible to locate the leak visually, and certain tests are conducted and equipment is used to identify this kind of a problem.