If you have an air conditioner is leaking and that unit was manufactured prior to 2010, you may find yourself unexpectedly facing a decision about whether you need emergency A/C repair or to replace your system. This is a dilemma that you may not have anticipated, expecting your cooling system to last at least a decade, and, if you are like many homeowners, you may be skeptical of the quoted prices for recharging the coolant in your air conditioning system. However, the reality is that it is becoming more challenging to recharge Freon in Freon-based systems.
Recharging Freon is no longer a routine part of air conditioning maintenance or repair.
A dozen years ago, if your air conditioning system developed a leak in its coolant system, an air conditioning repairman would come out to your home, assess the problem, explain to you the cost of repairing the leak, and then recharge your system with Freon even if you did not have the leak repaired. Now, due to changes in what is known about Freon’s negative impact on the environment, as well as changes to federal law, this is no longer a standard approach. Instead, it is imperative for technicians to repair leaks if they intend to recharge an air conditioning system.
Moreover, the sticker shock that many homeowners experience when they get an estimate for an air conditioning repair is explainable by an unavoidable fact: Freon is becoming more expensive. This is due to the fact that most of the existing air conditioning units in existence use Freon as a coolant, but the manufacture of Freon has been on the decline. There is less Freon available for recharging units, and, as the law of supply and demand dictates, as this supply of Freon continues to shrink, the cost for Freon continues to rise. Air conditioning repair companies and technicians are forced to pay much higher costs for Freon and, even if they eliminate all profit from the Freon they supply, still end up having to charge customers far more for Freon than they would have several years ago because of their rising costs.
The Freon shortage is only going to get worse.
Even if you have a faulty system and have first-hand experience with how expensive it can be to recharge the Freon in your unit, you may assume that it will still be less expensive than the cost of a new system. However, the reality is that all of us are going to have to eventually transition to non-Freon systems, because it will eventually be impossible to locate Freon. The question is not if you are going to replace your Freon-based system, but when you are going to replace your Freon-based system.
At Worlock Air Conditioning, our experienced, EPA certified technicians can help you weigh the pros and cons of recharging a Freon-based system compared to purchasing a new system. After exploring the long-term savings associated with new, energy-efficient systems, you may discover that it is less expensive to buy a new system than it is to recharge your existing system. Whatever your decision, our experienced technicians will handle your maintenance, repair, or installation quickly and professionally, keeping you cool as the weather gets hotter.
The post My Air Conditioner is Leaking: Can I still Get Freon? appeared first on AC Service in Greater Phoenix AZ | Worlock Air Conditioning Specialists.