There aren’t too many homeowners out there who really understand how air conditioners work. This isn’t a bad thing or something you’re expected to know a lot about—after all, that’s what the professionals are here for!
However, because many homeowners aren’t well-informed, they can be led astray by amateur repair people or handy people claiming to be HVAC pros. In fact, one of the most common things these folks tell homeowners is that refrigerant is something that gets “used up,” like gasoline from a car, and must be refilled (what we in the industry call recharged) once a year during maintenance or more often. And this is a refrigerant myth that could potentially harm your air conditioner. Read on to learn how!