The AC condenser unit located outside your house is responsible for cooling freon so that it can condense from a gas to a liquid. Once liquid, the freon cycles back to the evaporator unit located inside your house. The freon can then turn back to vapor and absorb heat from the air in your house. If the freon, vaporizes before it reaches the evaporator unit, its ability to cool your house is diminished. Thus, it is important to keep the coolant lines running between the condenser and evaporator solidly insulated.
How the Insulation Is Damaged
The freon lines are made from metal and will do little to insulate the freon inside. Thus, they are wrapped with a tube of foam insulation. Insects can eat away at this foam, and the weather can dry it out, make it brittle, and cause cracks. Once the insulation breaks down, the freon inside will not be able to function like it should.
How to Repair the Insulation
In order to improve the efficiency of your coolant system, you will need to make repairs. You do not need specialized training to do so. Simply follow these steps:
1. Remove whatever is left of the old insulation. With a utility knife, make a cut through the insulation. Be sure that you do not knick the coolant lines. You can then peel off the insulation.
2. Although the insulation should easily peel away, you will need to scrape off any pieces of insulation that remain behind.
3. Buy a replacement tube of insulation.
4. The replacement tube should have a slit down one side. Slide the lines of coolant through this slit until they are enveloped by the insulation.
5. On one side of the slit, you will find a strip of adhesive protected by a strip of plastic. Remove the plastic to expose the adhesive and push the two sides together to create a seal.
6. You may choose to wrap the insulation with reflective tape to protect the insulation and provide further insulation.
Because of how easy it is to replace damaged coolant insulation, you should have no problem doing the job yourself. On the other hand, if you have any concerns about doing the job, you can hire an AC repair tech to do the job for you. While the tech is at your house, you can also have them look over your whole system to make sure that every component is in good repair. After all, the key to avoiding repairs and maintaining the efficiency of your system is to perform regular maintenance.
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