For many homeowners having an efficient air conditioning system is essential. Your family can end up being very uncomfortable at home when the HVAC system fails. Air conditioning repair can be expensive, and therefore, you must take preventative maintenance precautions to prolong the lifespan of your system.
Common problems that cause damage to your air conditioner include improper installation, poor service procedures, and inadequate maintenance. Failure to properly charge the refrigerant fluid by your HVAC contractor during installation can result in inefficient performance. To ensure that your unit serves you right all through, below are the common problems that can affect it, and how they can be fixed.
Low Refrigerant Levels
The HVAC system uses a refrigerant fluid to get rid of excess heat and humidity from your house. The level of the refrigerant can fall below the required one when there is leakage in the refrigerant lines.
In case you need this type of repair, replacing or refilling the refrigerant may not work out. You must contact a professional HVAC technician to help in finding the holes and repairing them. It is costly to repair the leaks because the procedure used consumes a lot of time, especially when there are multiple holes in the lines.
The Coils Are Frozen
Frozen coils are caused by blocked ductwork or dirty filters and low refrigerant levels which limit the amount of air flowing in your system. To prevent this problem from occurring, you must clean and replace the filters regularly. Also, visually checking for any accumulation of frost on a regular basis can help prevent the occurrence of this problem.
Damaged Fans
Your HVAC system has two fans, one with the responsibility of blowing air over the condenser when expelling absorbed heat out of the house, and the other with blowing indoor air over the evaporator coil to cool the air.
When these fans fail, you will not attain your preferred temperature levels. With such a problem, you must seek air conditioning repair services hastily. Failure to do so can cause the compressor to get damaged and hence destroy your air conditioner. If you encounter such an issue, contact professional HVAC contractors right away for a quick fix.
Vibrating AC Window
Noises from a compressor, cycling on and off, or from whirling fans, are normal and do not indicate any problem. However, when you hear vibrating sounds emerging from the system, it means that the unit was not correctly installed. To confirm if there were any steps left out during installation, you can use the installation manual then contact your contractor for air conditioning repair.
Water Leaking from Your Air Conditioner
There is no cause for alarm when your air conditioner leaks water to the outside during a hot day, especially when the unit is running. Water leakage when the temperatures are cold is also normal. However, there are those factors that can cause water leakage to the outside and must be corrected to prevent severe damages to your unit.
Good examples of these factors include low coolant levels, dirty air filters, improper installation of the unit, broken condensate pan, and blocked drain pipes. Without the correct knowledge and right tools, you cannot determine the real cause of the leaks and must seek air conditioning repair from reputable HVAC technicians in St. Paul, MN.
Problems with the Thermostat
The thermostat controls the temperature of air coming out of the air conditioner. You must ensure that the settings of your thermostat are correct to avoid the emergence of new problems. Failing to calibrate your thermostat for several months makes it faulty, thus causing fluctuations in the temperature levels.
Damaged Evaporator and Condenser Coils
The evaporator coils absorb the heat from the air released into the house to cool it. These coils can be attacked by rust and tend to wear out with age. The condenser coils together with the compressor are placed outside the house. This exposes them to dust, leaves, debris, and bird droppings.
To prevent the accumulation of such dirt, clean the coils using hose water at least once a year. If too much dirt has accumulated, your HVAC technician will undertake professional air conditioning repair service by cleaning the coils using special chemical cleaners.
Leaking Ducts
Cooled air from the air conditioning system is transported via the ductwork that runs through the walls and ceilings of your house. If either rodents or careless workers have damaged the ductwork, the cooled air is trapped inside the walls. This problem causes your system to overwork to reach the temperature levels that you set, consuming more power to deliver the same results as before. Eventually, you will have to dig deeper into your pockets because of high utility bills. Professional air conditioning repair can rectify the problem on time.
Blocked Drains
Moisture produced by your air conditioning system is passed through the drain line to the pan and then moved down another drain. When your drain pipes are blocked, the water can back up into your unit, causing it severe damages. For you to know that the drains are blocked and whether your unit needs urgent air conditioning repair, you will notice that the ceilings, furnishings, and walls are getting damaged. If the problem is not corrected immediately, it results in the growth of mold.
Electric Control Failure
When your air conditioning system is oversized, you will be forced to turn it on and off frequently, resulting in the wearing out of fans and the compressor. Another severe problem caused by electric control failure is the corrosion of wires and terminals of the system.
When the circuit breaker and the fuse fail, your unit stops operating immediately. Before resetting the circuit breaker or replacing a damaged fuse, you must allow the system to cool for at least fifteen minutes. To avoid such problems, hire a qualified technician in air conditioning repair to check all electrical connections and contacts regularly.
When in need of expert air conditioning repair service in St. Paul, MN, and its outskirts contact the licensed and insured HVAC technicians at Blue Ox Heating & Air to help you fix the problem immediately.
