When your home’s聽AC system聽malfunctions, you聽want聽to get聽the situation聽dealt with聽at the earliest opportunity.聽Unfortunately, there聽could聽be聽hundreds聽of reasons why your聽AC unit聽isn’t聽working聽properly. How do you know which one is聽impacting you? There are聽a handful of聽problems that are more聽common, and聽recognizing聽what they are is聽beneficial聽when your聽天美传媒 is聽going over聽available choices聽for聽solving聽the problem聽with聽air conditioning repair in North America.
Here are the top six common air conditioner problems that can cause your聽air conditioner聽to聽malfunction.
1. Thermostat Problems
Your thermostat聽tells聽your聽AC system聽when to start and for how long to run. If聽the聽settings are聽wrong, your聽air conditioning聽might聽not聽work聽properly. And if the batteries聽have died聽in a programmable thermostat,聽you won't be able to use it at all.聽Try聽this聽short聽checklist to聽ensure聽your thermostat is receiving power and聽working聽properly:
- Swap out聽batteries if the screen is blank (programmable models)
- Make sure your thermostat has power (smart models)
- Check聽that it’s聽switched to聽cooling mode
- Ensure your聽preferred聽temperature is below the current room temperature
2. Dirty Air Filter
Dirty聽or inefficient air filters are聽infamous聽for turning a perfectly functional and聽effective聽air conditioner into a slow and inefficient one.聽In addition, dirty filters聽will sometimes聽cause聽lots of聽problems,聽including聽reduced聽airflow,聽lower聽indoor air quality and聽greater聽power聽consumption. They can also make聽the聽air conditioning聽work harder and stop working if the coil聽freezes.
You can easily聽avoid聽AC problems by聽consistently聽cleaning or replacing聽the聽air filter. How do you know聽whether聽you should change聽your聽filters? If you can’t聽recall聽the last time you changed them, it’s almost聽surely聽time to. But for a聽basic聽recommendation, make sure you try to聽exchange聽flat filters聽each聽month and pleated filters every three months.
3. Frozen Condenser Coils
Your air conditioner’s coils are聽crucial聽components because they聽discharge聽heat from your home into the outdoor air. But even聽in the middle of聽the summer, ice can聽build up聽on the coils. Frozen coils won’t be able to聽handle聽the cooling process as聽easily, and in聽some聽cases聽sufficient聽ice can聽keep聽the AC from running聽at all.
Freezing can be聽linked聽to聽several聽issues,聽like:
- Dirty coils caused by聽a lack of聽annual maintenance
- Dirty air filters, which聽obstruct聽airflow
- Clogged drain line, which can聽trigger聽moisture buildup
- Refrigerant leaks, which聽decrease聽cooling power
If your air conditioner聽is frozen,聽Turn聽it off and let the聽ice melt. This聽can聽take up to 24 hours, but you can聽speed up聽the process by switching settings to “fan only.” This聽blows聽warm air聽over聽the coils without聽starting聽a聽cooling聽cycle.
It’s聽a good idea聽to聽inspect聽your聽air filter first. If you can’t see light through it,聽change it. The other聽issues,聽like聽dirty coils, a clogged drain line or refrigerant leaks,聽will require聽professional assistance.
4. Refrigerant Leak
Your聽cooling聽needs聽refrigerant to聽convert聽heat. When it doesn’t have聽enough聽refrigerant, you聽could聽notice you’re getting a lot of hot air. Here are聽a few聽signs you’re聽confronting聽a leak:
- Not enough聽cold air
- 贬辞尘别听蹿别别濒蝉听丑耻尘颈诲
- Longer than normal聽cooling cycles
- Ice forming on the聽evaporator coils
- Bubbling聽or hissing air conditioner聽noises
- Sweet smell聽near聽the air conditioner
If your聽air conditioner聽was installed聽before聽2011, it聽most likely聽uses Freon¨ or R-22. This聽coolant聽is no longer being聽manufactured聽due to聽its聽harmful聽effects on the ozone layer. Only recycled聽quantities聽are聽accessible, which makes refrigerant leaks more聽the issue聽to聽fix.
If your R-22聽air conditioner聽is struggling with聽a refrigerant leak, we聽advocate for聽air conditioning installation due to age and the refrigerant being obsolete.聽New聽air conditioners聽employ聽Puron or R-410A, which is聽more sustainable聽for the environment.
We聽understand聽that replacing your聽AC system聽can be an emergency that you aren’t聽ready聽for. Ask us about our Advantage Program™, which聽gives聽you a new air conditioner for just one聽affordable聽monthly fee. Repairs and maintenance are聽covered, and you’ll get to聽keep聽any聽worthwhile聽manufacturer’s rebates.
5. Water Leak
Your聽AC unit聽uses聽a condensate drain line to flush water it聽eliminates聽from the air. If you’ve聽skipped聽air conditioning maintenance, this drain can become聽clogged聽with mold and cause water to聽flood the system. If this happens, you’ll notice water leaking.
Turn聽off your air conditioner to聽prevent聽damage and聽contact聽us at (866) 963-7996 蹿辞谤听蝉耻辫辫辞谤迟.
6. Tripped Circuit Breaker
There can be聽a number of聽reasons why your聽air conditioner聽is repeatedly聽tripping its circuit breaker. Here are聽air conditioner聽of the most聽common聽ones:
- Dirty air filter is聽severely聽constraining聽airflow.
- Your聽air conditioner聽overheated聽due to聽insufficient聽refrigerant.
- Condenser coils are dirty and聽restricting聽airflow.
- Condenser fan motor has聽broken聽and coils are overheating.
- Electrical connections are聽damaged聽or loose.
- Blower motor is聽defective.
- Compressor is drawing聽too much聽power or wiring is聽faulty.
- Capacitor聽responsible for聽starting the compressor has聽failed.
As聽we聽mentioned聽earlier,聽inspect聽your air filter first, as that is most聽often聽the culprit. Any other problems聽will have to聽be聽taken care of聽by an HVAC聽pro聽like聽天美传媒.
7. Short Cycling
An insufficient聽cooling cycle can also聽be part of the problem. Short cycling is聽a frustrating聽malfunction聽when the聽unit聽shuts off聽before the聽set聽temperature has聽made its way through聽the聽rest of the聽house. If you聽believe聽your聽AC unit聽is short cycling,聽listen to聽how long the air is聽working聽before it聽turns聽off. Your聽standard聽air conditioner聽generally聽runs for 15 to 20 minutes and stays聽inactive聽for聽close to聽a similar聽period of time. But when it’s short cycling, your聽cooling聽is聽running聽on and off in聽quick聽bursts.
This聽puts聽heavy strain on moving parts and聽critical聽components聽like聽the blower motor. Short cycling or any聽kind聽of聽atypical聽cooling cycles are聽frequently聽a consequence of聽overheating. The internal chamber gets too hot聽before聽safety components聽turn聽the AC off. This happens聽again and again,聽particularly聽if the聽source聽of the overheating isn’t聽dealt with.
Trust the Experts for Your Air Conditioning Repair and Maintenance Needs
The聽ideal聽way for you to聽avoid聽air conditioning problems is to聽participate in a聽preventive maintenance聽program. At聽天美传媒, we聽offer聽several HVAC memberships to聽fit聽your needs and budget.聽Bad聽wiring, low refrigerant and dirty coils can be聽discovered聽and聽corrected聽with聽routine聽service.
In some cases聽repairs are聽unavoidable, but as a maintenance member, you’ll聽receive聽special discounts on service, 24/7/365 priority service, no trip or overtime charges and more. Ready to聽join聽a membership program or to聽schedule聽your repair appointment?聽contact聽us at (866) 963-7996 today!
