When it comes to putting refrigerant in your air conditioner, too much of a good thing can actually be bad. Putting in too much refrigerant, or “overcharging” your AC, will cause your unit to malfunction and could even potentially be dangerous. In today’s blog post, a trusted heating and air company explains why.
Why Overcharging Is Detrimental to Your AC
Air conditioning systems are manufactured to run a specific charge or amount of refrigerant. If this dips below the recommended level, your unit’s cooling capacity will be lowered. If not addressed quickly, it will eventually inflict irreparable damage to important internal components, including the compressor.
Ironically, the symptoms of putting too much refrigerant in your AC are the same as undercharging. AC repair technicians get as many house calls for overcharging as for undercharging. This happens because when there’s too much refrigerant, it doesn’t switch between the gaseous and liquid states properly. This results in inefficient or uneven cooling.
Putting in too much refrigerant will also increase the pressure inside the AC unit, forcing the compressor to work a lot harder. This puts a tremendous amount of strain on the compressor, which can then lead to it burning out completely. When this occurs, a repair technician will probably advise you to replace the entire unit rather than have it repaired because, in most cases, repairing the compressor simply isn’t economical, especially if you own an older model.
While these problems are potentially catastrophic, luckily they’re also easily avoidable. If your AC is running low on refrigerant, be sure to call in an expert rather than try to refill it yourself.
If you’re in need of a reliable AC contractor to recharge your air conditioner, don’t hesitate to call The Ice-Man at (609) 466-9020. Alternatively, you can fill out our contact form to schedule your appointment today.