Your air conditioning unit still works, but it simply isn’t blowing cold air into your home anymore. When you finally get tired of having hot air pushed around the house, you may start to wonder whether you can add a little bit of refrigerant to the system on your own. Adding this almost-magical ingredient can often spur a little bit more cold air into your system. However, many homeowners are rightfully hesitant to perform this household chore on their own. Is it even safe to add refrigerant to your air conditioner on your own?
Before you decide to start adding more refrigerant to your home’s HVAC system, make sure you ask a professional or read up on whether it’s safe to do this task on your own.
Should I add my own refrigerant to the air conditioner?
The short answer is that you should leave this home maintenance task up to the professionals. There are significant risks associated with handling refrigerant if you aren’t properly trained with the right equipment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, handling this ingredient puts you at risk for toxicity, flammability, asphyxiation, and other ailments related to the toxic nature of this chemical.
Not only will you be putting yourself at risk physically, you will also be breaking the law. The EPA stipulates that it is a law to have a professional who is certified perform this task. Before you hire an HVAC technician to come out to your home, make sure that you ask whether they have their EPA certification. They should also have a card to verify that they are indeed certified.
Adding refrigerant won’t fix the problem
Simply adding a little bit of refrigerant isn’t going to make your air conditioner run better for an extended period of time. The refrigerant in your unit should last for the entire lifespan of the air conditioner unless there is a leak. It may be a slow leak that will take a while to drain out the new refrigerant or it could be a much larger problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Without the proper experience and training, most homeowners can’t identify exactly where the leak in their unit is.
However, this means that all of the refrigerant you are adding to the unit is bound to disappear once again. It is best to have a professional come in to survey the possible damage before adding more refrigerant to the unit. This can save you more money in the long run because it will allow your new refrigerant to last as long as it is truly supposed to.
When you need more refrigerant in your air conditioner, don’t attempt to make this repair at home. You need the help of an experienced and certified professional. Go ahead and give Classic Air Conditioning and Heating a call so that our experienced air conditioning company can help you! We are all EPA-certified and ready to help you pinpoint the leak and place more refrigerant in your unit.
