These are all signs
that your A/C system needs servicing, and if it stops working altogether
it will require repair. A/C systems operate under high
pressure. Over time, the refrigerant leaks out of the A/C system,
but this may not be the only problem with your A/C. If you think of refrigerant as your body's life blood, you
would better understand that you wouldn't be working too well either
without the blood that you need to operate correctly. All we need is 30
minutes, if we're not too busy, and we can check your system, refill your
refrigerant if you need it, and your back in business. If further
repair is necessary, we can provide you a no cost or obligation
estimate.
You might ask why
does refrigerant leak. The answer is that leakage always occurs from
a driving force: from high pressure (your A/C unit) to low pressure (the
atmosphere). The refrigerant is contained within the A/C
system using seals. These seals assume that your refrigerant will be
circulating within the A/C System all the time. The refrigerant mix
acts as a lubricant for these seals. Without it, the seals can
deteriorate, but seal deterioration is relatively rare. What confounds this notion is that we live up north
where we don't operate (nor should we or we'll damage the unit - so don't
do it) our A/C systems for half the year. Fortunately for all of us,
leakage rates are generally very small, almost insignificant, except over
time, your A/C system is going to need a little boost of its life's
blood.
So you might ask,
what happens in Florida. They use their systems year round. To
answer that question, it is true that their leakage rates are less than up
north, but again, this is a high pressure system where leakage will always
occur from the A/C unit (high pressure) to the atmosphere (low
pressure). Leakage rates, even though insignificant, over time it
becomes significant where servicing is necessary. Also, since it's paramount that
those cars get as cold as possible as quickly as possible due to the heat
down south, their A/C units
are serviced or refilled much more frequently.
Just Don't Do It!
Unless
you are a trained professional, we do not recommend trying to service your
A/C system on your own. If you over pressurize your system, which is
very easy to do, you can slug your system. Your A/C system includes
both oil and refrigerant that work together as a team. Slugging
means dumping or losing your oil that is vital for proper lubrication of
your system. This can quickly be followed by failure of your
system. The proper system balance is dependent upon the outside air
temperature and a trained service professional that knows what they are
doing. Servicing your A/C system using a trained profession is
fairly inexpensive compared to a catastrophic failure, due to
inexperience.
What happens if I put
off servicing my A/C system?
Obviously,
if your system isn't working properly, and it's hot, you and possibly your family
members are going to be uncomfortable until your system is recharged or
repaired.
Without its life blood (refrigerant), your system has to work harder with
little or no benefit for you. In other words, its obvious that A/C
systems consume more gas than non-A/C equipped automobiles (they still
draw power), except you get
diminishing cooling effects over time. Prolonging the servicing for
an extended period of time just might cause failure of other A/C
components or a complete failure of your system. Treat your
vehicle well and your vehicle will be good to you.
