One of the most common misconceptions that homeowners have about their air conditioners is that refrigerant, commonly referred to as Freon, needs to be refilled (recharged) on a regular basis. The contrary is actually true—your refrigerant should ideally never need to be recharged, as your cooling system is supplied with enough during installation to last its entire lifespan.
Another very important thing to know about your system’s refrigerant is that if you are utilizing an older AC system with R-22 in it, then your refrigerant is about to be fully phased out, due to the harmful effects that it has on the environment. Fortunately, however, if it is time to replace your cooling system then you needn’t look too far for quality AC replacement services!
What to Know about the Refrigerant Phase-Out
R22 is no longer manufactured in North America, but it can still exist within your older cooling system. For now, you can obtain recycled R22 for that system, but the cost is rising significantly due to the decrease in supply. By 2020, R22 will no longer be available at all.
After that time, you won’t have the option of having your refrigerant recharged if you do not have the correct type of cooling system to accommodate the newer fluid. If your cooling system is still utilizing R22 and you have a refrigerant leak, then you’re going to find yourself spending a lot more than you would have otherwise in order to have it repairs and have the refrigerant recharged.
Time to Upgrade Your Cooling System!
In addition to helping out the environment with newer refrigerant and preventing unnecessary costs, there are a variety of advantages to upgrading your AC system. For example, cooling systems today are designed with much higher SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) ratings than systems that are even just a decade old. This means a newer cooling system will work far more efficiently.
Additionally, you don’t have to keep using a central air conditioner unit, if that is what you currently have in place. You may consider using a heat pump, which is good for both heating and cooling, or even a ductless system if you are looking to rid your home of potential indoor air quality problems that can crop up with breached air ducts.
If you do want to keep using a traditional central system, that is of course okay—there are a number of ways to improve their efficiency too, such as having a zone control system integrated with it. This enables you complete control over the individual temperatures of rooms throughout your home so that you aren’t wasting energy on unoccupied spaces, such as a guest room or entire upstairs floor when your family isn’t home.
Remember to Schedule Maintenance
Switching out your refrigerant and upgrading your cooling system doesn’t mean anything if you don’t take proper care of the air conditioner. Scheduling professional maintenance enables our staff to fully inspect your system for any signs of damage, clean the important components within, and make any necessary adjustments so they don’t turn into bigger problems later on.
Contact APC Plumbing & Heating for superior Arvada, CO air conditioning services.
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