The more you learn about your air conditioning system, the more likely you are to be a responsible owner of it. This goes with anything, a home, a pet, or even a car! That’s why we’re on a mission today to help customers learn about their HVAC systems so they can better understand the importance of both proper care and professional maintenance.
Getting AC repair in Shreveport, LA isn’t always simple, and the materials that are required can be intricate. Refrigerant leaks are a common occurrence, and we’re one of the best teams to get in touch with when you need a patch and recharge of your refrigerant line.
Today we’d like to dive into one of the more fascinating questions of AC technology, and something that many homeowners have wondered in the past. Why do we use refrigerant chemicals and not water? Keep reading to get the answer!
What Is Refrigerant?
Refrigerant is a very specific type of chemical. Since your air conditioner’s main priority is moving heat from inside your home and depositing the heat outside, it needs to be able to do this in an energy-efficient manner. Refrigerant, like R-410A (or Puron, as it’s colloquially called), is a substance that can evaporate and condense with very little compression. This means your air conditioner can evaporate the material, absorb heat, and condense it very quickly and with lower energy consumption than other types of substances.
Let’s imagine that your air conditioner is filled with water instead of Puron. What is the downside to using water as a refrigerant?
The Downside of Water
Water has a very high specific heat. This is a scientific term that’s used to denote the amount of energy required to heat water and cool it back down. You probably already know that a lot of heat and energy is required to boil water, since you’ve probably seen how long it takes for the tea kettle to boil. Then, once water is hot, it takes a lot of energy to cool it back down. While this is good for keeping things warm or room temperature, it’s very bad for moving heat from one place to another.
If your air conditioner were filled with water, it would take a huge amount of energy to move heat from inside your home to the outside. Water just takes too much pressure, time, and energy to compress to the point where it will absorb heat properly. Refrigerant does this job much better.
Eco-Friendly Refrigerants
Don’t worry, just because your air conditioner isn’t filled with water doesn’t mean it’s a huge polluter. Refrigerants like R-410A and other refrigerants that are being invented provide minimal pollution to the environment. Refrigerants used to have a much worse effect on our ecosystem, but now the creation and removal of refrigerants have a very small effect.
Need Help With a Refrigerant Leak?
Is your air conditioner leaking refrigerant? Now that you know a bit more about this type of chemical and its unique properties, you can defer to our expertise to patch and recharge your air conditioning system!
Call Hall’s Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, the doctor of home comfort today!
