How Often Should a Car's Freon Be Replenished and How Much Is Needed?

[DelClara]

There is no fixed interval for replacing the freon in a car's air conditioning system. Generally, when the cooling effect of the car's air conditioner deteriorates, it is advisable to check whether the freon is insufficient and replace or replenish it if necessary. When adding freon, it is important to add the correct amount—too much or too little can cause issues. Insufficient freon can lead to excessive pressure and malfunctions. Additional information: Freon has an average lifespan of several hundred years in the atmosphere, so most of the emissions remain in the atmosphere, with the majority staying in the troposphere and a small portion rising into the stratosphere. Freon molecules in the troposphere are very stable and hardly undergo any chemical reactions. However, when they rise into the stratosphere, they decompose under intense ultraviolet radiation, releasing chlorine atoms (known as "free radicals") from chlorine-containing freon molecules. These chlorine atoms then engage in a chain reaction with ozone (chlorine atoms react with ozone molecules, producing oxygen molecules and chlorine monoxide).