Six Signs of a Broken Air Conditioner

As the summer rages on and heatwaves seem more intense than in years, are you sure your air-conditioner is ready to keep up? Some heatwaves go on for days or weeks at a time in Georgia. You don’t want your A/C going out in the middle of July, because getting it fixed often means (see when the next service appointment is available at TemperaturePro).

Before a heatwave begins, it’s best to have your air-conditioner serviced. A qualified HVAC technician can tell you if it needs any repairs before it is an emergency. If you haven’t had your air conditioner serviced in a while, you may see, hear, and smell various things that can give you an indication repair or service is needed.

Here are six signs your air conditioner is about to break, and all of them need immediate attention. Waiting can be costly, inconvenient and often cause damage to air conditioning compressor. Let’s take a look at the signs of ac failure and see how you can get them fixed.

Refrigerant Is Added After Avery Service

Hopefully you have your a/c maintained regularly, though general maintenance might overlook more extensive repairs you need done. If your maintenance technician constantly adds refrigerant, it’s a definite sign of AC problems.

The most likely culprit is you have small ac refrigerant leak in the air-conditioner system. Sometimes these leaks are so small, they aren’t noticeable until an expert technician takes a closer look. Don’t try to do this one yourself. Older systems use R22, commonly called Freon. R410A is a new type of refrigerant, which is used by newer air conditioning units.

Fortunately, adding refrigerant is usually a quick repair. What does an air conditioning recharge cost? This is not an expensive service. You can get an ac recharge for around $200 depending on the size of your unit and how much refrigerant is required. The best part of this small fix, you will notice an immediate difference in how cool your house is and how efficiently your air conditioning unit runs.

More Obvious Air Conditioner Leaks

Do you see puddles of moisture under your HVAC unit every few days? You likely have a more severe leak somewhere, but the causes can vary widely. Many of these causes can relate to the season. Torn insulation foam on the refrigerant feeding line can results in condensation at any time of the year. These leaks may cause fairly large puddles, which could become a hazard. It could also cause mold to build up. Try to trace where the leak is if you can. It’s fairly easy to replace the insulation foam on your own. If the leak continues, it’s time to call in a professional HVAC technician to see if it’s something more serious causing the problem.

Unusual Noises

Air-conditioners sometimes make as much noise as cars when something needs repairing. Some sounds to listen out for include squealing, rattling, clunking, or something sounding like marbles in a can. These sounds usually indicate a problem with the blower or motor. The problem should be repaired before the part breaks or disconnects completely. If you hear louder banging sounds when the blower is running, shut the system off. At this point, something has broken or disconnected.

Occasionally, the motor mounts on the assembly can become loose. Unusual rattling sounds can come from motor bearings. The motor assembly should be inspected by a qualified technician so that loose parts can be secured before the unit is damaged.

Weird Smells

It is not uncommon to hear clients complain about a mildew odor. This smell can occur for a variety of reasons including a dirty filter. If your filter is dirty or gets wet, mildew can begin to grow. Check your filters first and if they appear dirty, replace them. A clogged drip pan or one that is filling too fast can also cause mildew to grow on or near your ac unit. If you can see the clog, clear it. Otherwise, call a professional. The drip pan must be carefully placed to drain excess water.

Moist ductwork can occur if your ducts are not well sealed or if your AC system is not removing moisture from the air as well as it should. Excess moisture in your ducts can lead to mold and mildew growth, then spread that odor throughout your house until the source of the moisture is removed.

Shut off your air conditioner and call a technician immediately if you smell smoke. Smoke could be something as simple as a belt or as serious as a motor. In either case, you should get the problem fixed as soon as possible to avoid additional damage to your unit.

Hot Air Blowing After Replacing Filter

Hot air coming out of your vents is not always a sign of impending doom. Check your filter first. Then, check for a tripped breaker. The outside unit is usually on its own breaker. If this breaker trips, the air conditioner will still run because the outside unit does not need power to circulate the air. Your internal unit will continue to operate since it is on a separate breaker.

If these strategies don’t work, your air conditioner might be frozen. This is the most common cause of air conditioners to blow warm or hot air. The evaporator coil is what freeze while the motor produces heat that flows through your home. You can prevent this problem by servicing your air conditioner and keeping your thermostat on a fairly consistent setting. ACs freeze when homeowners turn their AC on the highest setting.

Many times you can fix this yourself by turning your air conditioner off for several hours, which will allow it to thaw. Once the unit is fully thawed you can turn it on, but it may still freeze. If it does, then you’ll need to contact an AC repair company to take a look.

Its old!

Finally, you have to accept that air-conditioners can’t last forever. Even if you’ve had no problems with yours for over a decade, any unit over ten years old isn’t going to keep working efficiently. Once you hit year 10 on your a/c, it pays to start planning for a replacement unit. Get regular maintenance and service. This way, you scope out problems before you’re left in a highly uncomfortable situation.

Call now or click here to make an appointment for a $59 Air Conditioner tune-up.