
What is recharging AC?
A central air conditioning unit runs on more than just electricity or gas to cool your home, being made up of a complex system of moving parts each with a specific purpose. With modern air conditioning systems, you may get a message on your phone or thermostat that reads “AC recharge” or something similar. What that means is that the air conditioner needs coolant, which runs through the interior coils to cool the air that passes between them. The act of recharging your AC is refueling your AC unit of coolant, generally known as Freon, so that it can continue to cool the air.
With modern models, you may get a warning when your system is technologically adapted to detect when there is a coolant shortage in the system, but generally, a person will depend on more traditional means to figure out the need for an AC recharge. Normally, a person will hear a hissing or bubbling noise from the refrigerant line if they decide to get an in-depth look at what is going on. For those that rightfully leave the AC unit services to the professionals, they will still tell they need an AC recharge in two ways. You will notice your electricity bill is climbing higher per month and when the system is completely out only warm air will blow through the vents. When you need an AC recharge, trust the professionals at A 100% Guarantee Heating and AC in Vacaville, CA to get it taken care of. Call 707-689-5128 today to schedule your appointment.
Can you recharge your home AC yourself?
In terms of where the part that accepts the AC recharge is, you will find it generally at the appropriate openings. If it is unclear, there are diagrams that can explain where they can be found. However, it is highly recommended against that unlicensed and untrained individuals commit to an AC recharge. When considering or needing a recharge for your air conditioning system, it is best to rely on professionals like those at A 100% Guarantee Heating and AC. The primary reason being that you must absolutely know what you are doing when committing to an AC recharge. Too much coolant can damage other parts of the air conditioner, such as the compressor, and also lead to higher pressure inside the system overall. At the same time, too little coolant from an AC recharge will make the coils too cold and may cause backflow into the outside unit which will lead to damages. Either way, too much or too little coolant in an AC recharge will lead to expensive damages. On top of that and ignoring what else may happen, EPA regulations state that only certified professionals can recharge HVAC systems.
Why is my AC running but not cooling?
When your air conditioning unit does not cool your place of residence, it could be one or many of countless issues that can occur in the system. There could be blockages in the ventilation ducts, the compressor might have gained some damages, it could be due to a simple part that needs replacing. All those, or you’ve run out of cooling as mentioned before and need an AC recharge. The air conditioning unit cannot function and do its job without coolant to level out the preferred temperature.
In considering window and smaller air conditioning units, a problem that occurs is that the right setting is not selected. Both need to be absolutely set and when that does not work they do suffer from issues that the central air conditioner also suffers from. While both suffer from low coolant levels, which have been covered above, they also use filters that need to be replaced every so often.

How long should an air conditioner last?
Now unfortunately air conditioners do have a set time limit that they last which is 10 to 15 years of constant service. Depending on the conditions, an AC unit can last longer. Furthermore, a person should not need an AC recharge in their personal home due to the fact that refrigerant should last a homeowner the extent of the AC unit’s working lifespan. To be specific, it lasts between 12 to 15 years. More than likely, you will begin to notice signs that your air conditioning unit needs to be replaced before you will need to actually get an AC recharge. Some of those signs do include:
- Higher electric bills from air conditioning or heating
- Lack of air flow
- Musty or foul smells with air conditioning
- Heavy amount of moisture
These signs tend to indicate a homeowner will need a new air conditioning unit to replace their old model, the service needing to take place quickly when these signs are blatant. Something that should also be noted is that when an AC recharge is needed, sometimes there would need to be repairs taking care of a leak of some kind concerning the coolant. For when you need such services and anything concerning HVAC, call 707-689-5128 today for A 100% Guarantee Heating and AC in Vacaville, CA.