A home’s air conditioning (AC) system is an essential element when it comes to ensuring your family’s comfort, especially during warm summer days. Your air conditioner helps cool down the room temperature and improve indoor air quality. Running into problems with your air conditioning unit can be a major disaster, possibly compromising the health and safety of your loved ones, particularly your children and elderly relatives.
It’s therefore important to identify air conditioning problems early and fix them before they become major problems that would need extensive repair and costly parts replacement. Unless you’re familiar with how AC systems work, working with a trustworthy HVAC company may be a good idea. They know what to do to spot the common issues and get them fixed right away. But to find the right company, you can look into websites like https://www.aireserv.com/dallas/ and other digital channels to get more information. But if you’ve decided to take care of your AC system by yourself, knowing the common problems associated with your unit can be an excellent start.
Below are some of the top AC problems you might encounter and some troubleshooting tips for your reference.
- Your AC Does Not Cool The Room Enough
If your air conditioning system isn’t as effective for cooling as it used to be, then this is an issue you need to address immediately. You don’t want to pay a ridiculously high energy bill just because your AC is working double time in an attempt to cool down your home.
Here’s how to fix your AC if it’s not adequately cooling the room:
- Check And Clean The Air Filters: A clogged and dirty air filter can hinder your AC from working at its maximum potential. The dirt buildup will result in poor cold airflow when the trapped cold air causes ice to form on the evaporator coils. A major problem that’ll come up if that event happens is that your air conditioner will freeze and become inoperable.
- Check The Thermostat Settings: If your AC isn’t doing its job of cooling, you need to inspect its thermostat. An AC that produces cool air followed by lukewarm air should be set to ‘auto mode’ in order for the fan to work only when the indoor air’s being cooled. Make sure to keep your AC thermostat on auto mode to avoid cooling issues.But if the cooling problem persists despite setting the thermostat on auto mode, try another solution. At this point, consider checking the placement of your thermostat in your home. For instance, you should ensure it’s located away from the appliances and windows, as doing so can cause it to misread your home’s temperature.
- Clean The AC Coils: Sometimes, the air from the air conditioning system can no longer be cooled effectively because the AC coils are dirty. In that case, you need to clean the coils thoroughly to remove the dirt and dust. However, cleaning them can be challenging because they are inside the air conditioning unit. For this reason, you probably need professional assistance to get the cleaning job done right. If you insist on doing it yourself without knowledge, you might only damage your AC unit. So, it’s better to leave the job to professionals.
Other possible reasons for uneven cooling in your home include low refrigerant levels, a damaged compressor, and motor problems. If you detect those issues, contact an HVAC professional to deal with them for you.
- Leaky Air Ducts
Air leaks often result from poor installation. Improper sizing and installation of an air conditioning unit reduces its performance, restricts air distribution, and leads to high energy bills.
Hence, impaired ducts cause air leaks that would warrant professional duct air conditioning repair. Ductwork leaks would force your AC to work harder, and they’re a common problem in attics, garages, basements, and crawlspaces. Fortunately, you can fix this issue in the following ways:
- Conduct An Inspection: Look for poor connections, gaps, and cracks around the air duct seams. Signs of leaky air ducts may include heating or cooling problems, discomfort in the room, and high energy bills. Check for loose, damaged, collapsed, or tangled ducts as well.
- Clean The Air Filter: Air leaks can be a result of a dirty air filter and lack of maintenance. So make sure to clean and replace your air filter at least once a month. Maintain a two-feet clearance around your outdoor condenser unit, and schedule annual AC maintenance.
- Seal Any Leaky Ducts: Once you’ve identified leaky ducts, you need to seal them right away using continuous foil strip tape to cover the longitudinal seams running straight through them. Schedule an air duct testing immediately to confirm leaks. Contact an HVAC professional to test static pressure if you suspect poor installation of air ducts.
- Strange Smells And Sounds
If you observe that your AC is producing an odd smell or sound, this could be a problem with the motor and other components. You might notice a stale, dingy odor and foul smell in your AC due to the accumulation of bacteria. A musty smell is often due to water buildup in the drip lines or drain pan, triggering mildew or fungi growth.
Loud buzzing noises produced by your air conditioner are an indication of malfunction. Some specific issues include loose parts, refrigerant leaks, a defective compressor, and missing or damaged isolation feet.
If you detect strange odors or sounds coming from your AC, you need to do the following:
- Turn off the unit from the main power source.
- Check the air filter and other parts if they’re dirty and either clean or replace them.
- Contact an HVAC professional for appropriate repair and replacement of malfunctioning parts.
Conclusion
Identifying and troubleshooting air conditioning problems won’t be as difficult if you equip yourself with the right information. Use the tips above as a guide in repairing your air conditioning unit successfully. Of course, contacting a professional is an option you can go for if you’re too busy to take on the tasks mentioned or if do-it-yourself troubleshooting doesn’t resolve your air conditioning problem. Remember, having a professional by your side would make sense if you want to save time, money, and energy. They know what to do, so you can be sure of an excellent AC job from start to finish.
