3 Signs Your Air Conditioning Unit Needs To Be Serviced
It's difficult to make it through summer without air conditioning. It may not be safe to leave your windows open, and even if you do, it may not be cool enough to give you any comfort in your home. That makes it more important than ever to keep up with air conditioning repairs and maintenance, whether you have a central HVAC, heat pump, or even a window AC. Otherwise, you might have to sweat it out on a hot day. Here are some signs your central air conditioner might need to be serviced.
1. Your Zoned System Isn't Cooling Properly
A zoned HVAC system is nice because it helps you save on your power bill. You only have to cool the rooms you're using at the time. This is done through the use of dampers that restrict or cut off airflow to certain rooms or zones. If a damper or damper motor malfunctions, the airflow might get stuck in an on or off position and defeat the purpose of the dampers and a zoned system.
Your air conditioning repair technician can replace a damper if necessary or even replace the motor so the dampers move as they should when they're signaled by the thermostat.
2. The AC Air Isn't Cold
If you stand near a register to cool off and discover the air blowing out isn't as cool as it should be, there could be a problem with the refrigeration system. There might be a leak, but there could also be another problem that's keeping the refrigerant from cooling off as it should. Some things that might be wrong include a bad condenser fan motor and a dirty evaporator or condenser coils.
The fan in the condenser blows over the coils to cool down the condenser and refrigerant. If the fan stops due to a bad motor, the refrigerant lines can't cool down very well. If the coils that carry the refrigerant are dirty, the refrigerant can't pull heat from the air indoors and release it outside.
Your air conditioning repair professional can replace a bad fan motor and clean the refrigerant coils so your AC air gets cooler. However, if the coils have a leak, the leak has to be repaired since your AC can't cool as well when the refrigerant is low.
3. Your AC Won't Stay On
If your AC keeps kicking off, or if it kicks off and won't come back on, the repair technician has to troubleshoot the problem since many things can cause your air conditioner to shut down. Air conditioning units have built-in safety mechanisms that turn off the equipment if parts overheat. Even water backing up in the condensation pan can cause your AC to shut down.
Once the problem has been pinpointed, the repair technician might need to repair wiring, replace the thermostat, clean the blower, or clear the condensation drain line, depending on the nature of the problem.
