Tag Archives: Leaking

A pre-charged cooling system is charged with refrigerant and doesn't require additional services for adding refrigerant. The cooling system is used to cool air that’s circulated throughout a home. The systems are usually installed by licensed professionals, such as HVAC technicians. The pre-charged units eliminate the need for removing the air from the system by creating a vacuum, brazing the metal parts together and then charging the system by adding refrigerant. The refrigerant is inside the units, which have no leaks. However, any connected parts could be a source for leaks and must also be sealed.

Components
Air conditioner units have three very important components. The AC condenser, evaporator and compressor must function in unison because the refrigerant repeatedly changes from liquid into a gas and from gas into a liquid. Warm air transfers heat to the coils and causes the liquid refrigerant to change into a gas. The compressor is used to pressurize the gas, which forces the gas to change into a liquid. A pre-charged unit is sealed to prevent leaks and usually connected to the system with quick connect fittings.

Metal Tubing
The cooling system has metal tubing that also holds the refrigerant, which moves through the system. The tubing is sealed and usually quite fragile. Therefore, the HVAC technicians must carefully handle the units and ensure that the refrigerant is not accidentally released through a crack in the tubing. There are quick connect fittings installed on the metal tubing, which are used to connect to the pre-charged unit that supplies refrigerant to the entire system. The metal tubing may also be connected by brazing, which is similar to soldering. However, brazing requires a much higher temperature because the filler metal has a higher melting point than solder.

HVAC Technicians
The HVAC technicians must have special licenses for handling refrigerant, which is consider to be a source of problems for the environment. There are refrigerant recovery machines that’re used to collect refrigerant from units. The refrigerant shouldn't be released into the environment and should ONLY be handled by licensed professionals. Therefore, leaks should also ONLY be repaired by technicians who are licensed to handle refrigerant.

Benefits of the Pre-Charged Units
The pre-charged units offer the additional feature that the components will probably not need to be checked for leaks, which is another service that is eliminated. Leaks are serious problems with cooling systems because the refrigerant can leak from the quick connect fittings, from a crack in the tubing or from a component, such as from a condenser. The HVAC technicians usually charge a system with refrigerant and then quickly search for the source of a leak. Therefore, the pre-charged units can save time during an installation and help to eliminate inspections for leaks.

There are many tools that help air conditioning units function properly. One of those tools is a substance called Freon. It was created as a replacement for the dangerous coolant that use to accompany old cooling systems, such as refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners.

Freon is a nonflammable, odorless and colorless liquid that has to be produced since it doesn’t occur naturally. It’s composed up of various amounts of chlorine and a host of many other different atoms that include fluorine, carbon and hydrogen.

It’s a chemical that proves to be dangerous because of the potential impacts it ultimately causes to the environment, mostly with being a major factor in depleting the ozone levels. Such impacts have landed it to be banned in the U.S. with it only being manufactured through regulated material use. Before any item is disposed of, the Freon must be removed.

More importantly, the process of handling Freon should only be attempted by licensed technicians who’ve been certified by the EPA. As far as the effects on humans are concerned, Freon isn’t dangerous unless it’s inhaled directly. Generally, a typical Freon leak isn’t enough to be harmful, but the presence can cause irregular heartbeats. This makes people with heart problems more susceptible to the fumes if they’re inhaled.

Some of the common causes of Freon leakage include:
• Physical damage
• Condenser unit vibration
• Stress points

An outdoor unit that’s placed improperly outside can create strong vibrations that can weaken or fracture the lines that contain refrigerant. Physical damage that can cause leaks can be from other objects such as lawnmowers, which can cast rocks and sticks that can certainly cause damage to outside units. Stress points can also lead to Freon leaks which will be located near the units service valves.

Identifying a leak can be quite easy if a homeowner knows what to look for such as:
• The AC unit running at a specific temperature but not blowing any cool air.
• The home is taking too long to cool.
• Accumulated water near the furnace due to condensation.
• The build-up of ice on copper lines from the AC unit to its outside coil.
• An extremely high electric bill is also a very big indicator of a Freon leak. An AC unit with a Freon leak means that the unit has to work much harder to keep things cool, thus raising your electric bill. A Freon leak with only 10% leakage can raise the electric bill usage by double that amount.

Small problems with Freon leaks can be attended to and fixed quite quickly once they’re identified and certified technicians are alerted not too long after they’re discovered. If problems aren’t handled and conditions are allowed to worsen, the repairs will take more time and money to take care of.