Heat pumps are a great way to regulate your home’s temperature in Buckeye, AZ. You may be asking, “Do heat pumps use refrigerant?” They do, but they don’t require recharges as often as air conditioners do.
Mountainside Air offers cooling and heating services in Buckeye, AZ. Give us a call if you need help with your heat pump, and keep reading to learn how they use refrigerant.
What Is Refrigerant?
A refrigerant is a type of chemical used to cool air. The chemicals use minimal energy to turn liquid into a gas and back into a liquid. Through this process, air conditioners can cool down hot air, and heat pumps can transfer heat with ease.
Refrigerant Types
As HVAC technology progresses, new refrigerant types come into play and replace the old ones. The current type we use is R410A which replaced R22. As these chemical compounds improve, they become less flammable, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient.
The type of refrigerant a heat pump will use is highly dependent on the make and model. As old refrigerant types are banned from production and slowly phased out, new models will start using the latest approved type.
How Do Heat Pumps Use Refrigerant?
Heat pumps use refrigerant to transfer warm air to cool or warm a home. In the summer, a heat pump will remove warm air from the home and replace it with cool air. In the winter, it will replace cool air with warm.
Heat Exchange
How do heat pumps use refrigerant? Heat pumps don’t generate heat or create cool air. Instead, they transfer air from one set of coils to another.
The refrigerant starts out as a gas and is then sent to a compression valve, where it undergoes a lot of pressure, which is the compressor function. The gas then goes into compression coils where heat is removed, and the gas turns into a liquid. The liquid then goes through an expansion valve to evaporator coils, where the liquid evaporates into cold air, giving you cool air.
Heat pumps have two sets of coils and valves to direct the gas inside or outside your home. When it cools your home, the cold air is released into your home. When the system warms your home, the cold air is released outside.
How Heating Pumps Increase Heating Efficiency
Heat pumps use a lot less energy than an air conditioner. Air conditioners must create heat and cool air, whereas heat pumps only move existing air. Since Buckeye, AZ, doesn’t get super cold in the winter, heat pumps can save you a lot of money since the system doesn’t have to work hard to keep your home comfortable.
Some people choose to have heat pumps and traditional HVAC systems. They use the air conditioner and heater when the heat pump can’t keep up with extreme weather. If you want a heat pump but have concerns about seasonal performance, choosing both may be worth the investment.
Signs Your Heat Pump Refrigerant Isn’t Working in Buckeye
Now that we’ve discussed “Do heat pumps use refrigerant?” know that refrigerant doesn’t get used up as it does in an air conditioner. Instead, it stays in place, so you rarely have to recharge it unless you have a leak.
Signs your refrigerant is leaking include:
- Your home’s temperature isn’t changing: If your home isn’t adjusting temperature as usual, it may be due to a leak preventing it from transferring heat from one set of coils to another.
- Dripping liquid: Heat pumps shouldn’t have liquid around them. Liquid usually means the refrigerant line has a hole or crack.
- Frozen coils: If you see ice on the coils, it’s time to call an HVAC technician, as it can interrupt cooling cycles. Your system may have an automatic defrost mode, but calling a technician always helps.
- Corrosion around refrigerant: Corrosion around the refrigerant canister doesn’t always mean trouble, but it could easily turn into a leak. An HVAC technician can resolve the situation to prevent you from having costly leaks.
If your heat pump doesn’t seem to be functioning correctly, call a technician to inspect the unit. Annual maintenance will allow technicians to spot problems early to prevent disasters.
Call Mountainside Air in Buckeye, AZ, Today
Do heat pumps use refrigerant? You can ask questions like these to our professional technicians at Mountainside Air in Buckeye, AZ. We’re happy to answer all of your questions or provide you with a guide to heat pumps working in cold weather.
Give us a call today if you need heat pump repairs, maintenance, or want to know more about this energy-saving HVAC alternative.