Definition
Refrigerant is the fluid sealed inside an air conditioner or heat pump that carries heat from one place to another, absorbing it as it evaporates in one coil and releasing it as it condenses in the other. It is not consumed in normal operation. Common residential refrigerants include R-22, R-410A, R-32 and R-454B.
Also called: Freon (trade name)
Why it matters to you.
Through a humid Central Kentucky summer the refrigerant is what pulls heat and moisture out of your home, and in a heat pump it also carries heat indoors all winter. A system's refrigerant type shapes repair and replacement options during the federal shift away from R-410A, and a system that needs more refrigerant has a leak.
Practical guidance.
Find the refrigerant type on the outdoor unit's data plate, usually beside the factory charge, without removing any panels. Adding, recovering or testing the refrigerant charge requires an EPA Section 608-certified technician.
About this definition
Written by the Feistritzer Heating & Air Conditioning team — family owned and operated in Danville since 1976, Kentucky HVAC license M02584. Definitions inform; a whole-system diagnosis in your home decides.