In this day and age nearly everyone in a modern country has experiences with refrigeration such as air conditioning, refrigerators, freezers, and car AC as well, it’s all around us. This is actually a fairly new phenomenon, refrigeration has grown exponentially throughout the world over the past 100 years or so. Of course, just like any newer technology, there has been a learning curve having to do with the chemicals used inside to absorb the heat inside the home then dissipate the heat outside. The original chemicals were dangerous to breathe and flammable. The next generation ate holes in the ozone layer at an alarming rate, and then came the greenhouse gas chemicals after that. A lot of people wonder though, how long do these various chemicals last as when they are in a closed system? Here are the answers and why you should keep your system maintained.

Technically, The Refrigerant Lasts Forever

This might surprise a lot of people that will tell you their AC unit or refrigerator, has just had to be recharged with more refrigerant, just like last year. And they’ll go onto say that it cost them a bundle of money.

That’s most likely because they have an older system, one that runs on the now banned Freon, that was quite popular several decades ago. The problem with Freon, or R22, was that it floated up into the upper atmosphere where the sun’s UV rays broke it down and then it gobbled up lots and lots of ozone, almost depleting the entire layer. Without the ozone layer in our atmosphere all animals on earth would be at risk for over exposure to radiation from the sun. Cancer rates would skyrocket and people would have to stay indoors.

So, R22 was banned, first in the richer countries and then worldwide. It can no longer be manufactured or sold in new machines anywhere. There is still some around that has been recovered by technicians from older AC units and refrigerators, but the supply is dwindling fast and the price is sky high now if you need some for your older machine.

Continuing to recharge a leaking AC unit is wasting a lot of Freon and costing someone a ton of money. What they really need to do is find the source of the leak and fix it, or buy a newer system that uses a newer refrigerant that isn’t bad for the environment and is now far cheaper.

But, Is It Only A Matter Of Time Before AC Leaks Out?

This is always the next question, since people that have leaks get tired of calling the AC tech and having to pay for a recharge. The fact is, if you keep your system in top condition and care for it yearly, it won’t develop leaks for decades.

And Here Are Some Tips On Keeping Your Leaks To A Minimum.

First, if you have an outside unit that is open to leaves, dogs, and people, fence it off and keep the area clean. Dogs have a bad habit of urinating on AC units and their urine is very corrosive. It eats through the coils and their joints in addition to ruining bearings and switches.

Building a fence around it and keeping your dogs, cats and people away from it will extend its lifetime. People have a bad habit of leaning lawn chairs, bicycles, toys, and other items on the units blocking the air circulation and causing the units to overwork too.

Get A Complete AC Check-Up Yearly

There are a number of parts of an air conditioner that will eventually wear out and leak refrigerant. A qualified AC technician will be able to spot seals in the compressor or welds in the coils that are about to leak. Then, he’ll empty the refrigerant and store it in a cylinder, repair your AC as good as new, and then replace the refrigerant again.

The technician will check every part of your system to make sure that it is running smoothly and efficiently to save you money and wear and tear. He’ll start by checking your thermostat to make sure it’s reading accurately, turning on and off at the right temperature. He’ll change or clean the air filters so that your AC unit isn’t working harder than it needs to because of air blockages.

When the air becomes blocked or slowed significantly, it can have an effect on the coolant that’s flowing though the coils as well. Sometimes the coolant will freeze inside the coils and stop moving because the air filter and fan aren’t able to transfer the cold from the refrigerant to the warm air to complete the cycle.

Fix The Problem Or Kick The Can Down The Road

Once everything is running smoothly, then that’s the time to check the refrigerant levels to see if you have a leak. Then you have a choice, search for the leak and fix the problem completely, or recharge the refrigerant and postpone the problem until next season.

If you’re already planning on buying a completely new system, then postponing the repair job might be an economical choice. Or, it’s never been low before, maybe the leak is so slow it will last for another 5 years before needing another recharge.

The recommended choice is to always empty the system, run a leak detection chemical into the coils and compressor and find the leak. It could be in the coils, compressor, or any other part of the system but there are parts and solutions available to repair almost anything that isn’t more than 40 or 50 years old.

One thing to keep in mind about a system that’s running on the older R22, Freon, refrigerant is that parts are getting more expensive and so is the R22 refrigerant. At some point it’s going to be an obvious choice to buy a new system that runs on the more environmentally friendly R410a. That way, you’ll be helping the ozone layer, cutting down on greenhouse gases, and your new system should be 15% to 20% more efficient saving you money on energy and lasting longer before each repair at the same time.