I found the answer to my question on a technical level. I’m going to plagiarize from a thread on this website, from 2007. There are two different answers that support each other (I will provide the link)… As follows:
- " Under 65 degrees (an arbitrary number but with a good margin of safety), the refrigerant may not vaporize completely and you then have liquid refrigerant being sent to the compressor.
The compressor is designed for gas,which is more easily compressed than fluid. If you attempt to pump liquid through the system, you risk damaging the compressor. This can result in you writing a big check.
Since I HATE, paying my clients, (Much prefer they write checks to me!) I explain this to them when weather warrants and I report the AC was not inspected due to weather conditions."
- " The proper term is called (liquid migration) which occurs during the off cycle of the unit. Liquid freon will seek the coldest area of an enclosed system between the furnace A-coil and the outside condensing unit. When outside ambients are below 60 degrees the MFG recommends not to operate these units because the coldest area of the system will be the outside unit and if liquid freon is lying in the compressor you can can damage the valves in the compressor when you start it up.
Freon is simply stated, all about pressure temperature relationship if the home or the area of the furnace A-coil is in a warmer area than the condensing unit the freon will migrate toward the coldest area in a shut down mode. Once the compressor is actually started and operated in a normal mode no damage will occur to the compressore the damage will occur on the initial starting of the unit.
If the outside unit is equipped with a crankcase heater the possibility of liquid migration is almost nil as the heat will drive the liquid freon from the crankcase"