The process of adding gas to an air conditioner is called โaircon gas toppingโ by people who work in the field. It is a very important part of determining the overall effectiveness, and experts say it should be done yearly. There are several false ideas and myths about topping off the gas in an air conditioner and how frequently to do it. This article aims to explain and bust a few of these myths.
- You donโt have to add gas to your air conditioner.
Some people think that since air conditioners use a closed loop, the initial air conditioner gas wonโt have to be changed. For people unfamiliar with this type of structure, a closed-loop is essentially a control system in which the gas made is sent back into the system to make more gas. Itโs a process that happens repeatedly and usually doesnโt need any help.
Over time, the formic acid made in the air conditioner unit will wear away the metal used to make the unit. The small holes in the rusted parts will let the refrigerant gas escape.
If you donโt fix these gaps in the air conditioners, they will only become bigger and bigger. Before you understand it, you wonโt have any coolant left to keep your house cool. At most, youโll have an air conditioner that blows the same hot air into your home that youโre trying to avoid.
- Adding gas to an air conditioner is not maintenance.
Most people have this idea because they donโt know what goes into maintaining an air conditioner. But the great news is that such an idea existed long before the Internet. Many professional air conditioning check-up services now know how important it is to explain what this kind of service involves fully. Doing a fast Google search will show you what other companies offer.
Due to how air conditioning units are made, one of the very first things a specialist ought to do is check the gas and add more if needed. First, the professional will check the air conditioner to ensure no leakages. This is done by flushing the whole system before putting in more gas.
- Itโs not hard to do.
Despite what most people think, you canโt do your air conditioning maintenance. Even though some people with the right knowledge and mechanics might know what to do, an expert repairman is still needed to ensure that all safety rules and requirements are met. Also, a person who isnโt trained can only do so much maintenance. They might get bored, not understand exactly where to go and start losing bolts and nuts.
Different parts make up an air conditioner. For example, the filter is easy to get to and can be cleaned by anyone. After taking the air conditioner apart, clean it with dust and soapy water. Itโs important to remember that when you clean this part, you shouldnโt change its shape.
On the other hand, the electrostatic and central units are not easy for anyone to keep up with. If the electrostatic unit gets broken, the whole air conditioning unit could stop working. Most people who own air conditioners donโt know how to check how narrow the loop is and how much pressure is in the gas coolant. When you do your maintenance, the last bad part you want to do is break something or forget to fix something and then use the unit again. Thatโs a sure way to make things go wrong. When things go wrong, the cost of fixing them will hurt your wallet.
- It doesnโt save energy.
This mistaken belief is based on the question, โCan a well-maintained unit save power?โ This means, how will not servicing the air conditioner affect the amount of energy used? No matter if the coolant gas is lesser, the energy cost should stay like that when the unit is in use. Thatโs where this mistaken idea goes wrong:
When the gas gets too low, it will take your air conditioner longer to cool the space around it. If it used to take a well-maintained unit 30 minutes to cool your room to a level where you could breathe, but now it takes 2 hours, itโs clear that your power bill will go up. Topping off the gas in your air conditioner will cool the room faster and use less energy overall. If you also want to save energy, donโt turn it on when the gas is low. Itโs not a big deal if your gas level is low; hire an air conditioning expert to fill it up.
- Not topping off the gas in the air conditioner doesnโt cost much.
You may have heard that ostriches put their heads in the ground to make their problems disappear. Well, that doesnโt help for air-con. If you donโt put more gas in your air conditioner, youโll have problems and lose money.
- Itโs easy to do without help from a professional.
If you have a lot of free time, trying to fix your own air conditioner may seem like a good idea because you wonโt be paying for something. But if you donโt do the right things to keep it in good shape, your Simple project can get out of hand and cost you more than the problem itself.
It would assist if you thought about safety, which is important. If the air conditioner is where accidents are likely to happen, it might be best to hire a pro. Specialists have the right tools to get to these places safely, and they also know how to handle these kinds of situations.
- Your ac unit will work just fine without it
Itโs yet another common myth about air conditioning. The unit may work the first few days, but if you only use it occasionally and donโt take care of it, it will start to break down and need your attention, or worse, your money.
- It doesnโt affect the performance as a whole.
Based on what has already been said, this is not true. Air conditioner gas topping is a preventive measure, not something that causes extra costs and shortens the unitโs life. Find out what happens when there isnโt enough refrigerant here.
