8 Signs You Need AC Repair | Fort Worth, TX
Sometimes at the end of a long day, the only thing you want to do is head back to your Fort Worth, TX home and collapse into a chair and bask in the cool air. However, if your AC, this will be impossible and potentially a larger problem if your AC decides to quit working altogether. While there are several reasons why you may be having issues with your AC, you can get to the bottom of them quickly if you hire a company for AC repair instead of attempting to troubleshoot the problem on your own.
The bottom line is that heating and cooling systems are extremely complicated, and you are more likely to damage something than you are to actually complete the AC repair on your own. Licensed and certified HVAC technicians go through years of training and apprenticeships in order to obtain the ability to work on their own. Not only do they have superb knowledge, but they also have the experience that is necessary to diagnose the issue and then fix it promptly so you can go back to enjoying your cool air.
Of course, in the best-case scenario, you don’t have to worry about your cool air disappearing before you call for AC repair. Ideally, you catch the warning signs that you may need AC repair in Fort Worth, TX, and call for help before your perfect relaxing afternoon has been ruined. However, to catch the signs, you have to know how to identify them, which is why it is incredibly important that you are familiar with anything that your AC system may be trying to tell you. Very few systems will fail on their own, but many will fail, and then homeowners will mention that they did notice something weird happening for the last few weeks.
The take-home lesson here is that if you notice something, you need to say something so that you aren’t left realizing that your AC was actually attempting to tell you that it needed some maintenance. With that in mind, let’s look at the eight warning signs that it is time to call for AC repair. If you notice any of these signs, give us a call, and we will schedule a visit to come out and see what we can do to get your HVAC system back on track.
Odd Noises
Up first on the list is odd noises coming from your air-conditioning unit. Most people know that suspicious noise coming from the air conditioning unit is not a good thing, but a lot of people tend to try to ignore them or think that they will just work themselves out. Unfortunately, the idea that it is just a kink that will somehow straighten itself out almost never actually comes to life. Instead, what happens is the component that is dragging or creating friction breaks, completely shutting down your unit.
There are a lot of different noises that you might hear coming from your AC unit, including but not limited to banging, knocking, whistling, squealing, screeching, and clicking. As you might guess from this list, pretty much any noise that you hear coming from your AC that is not a gentle hum of air is something that you should be concerned about. It is never a great idea to delay AC repair so if you do hear a noise, we urge you to call so that you aren’t remembering the noise later once the system is no longer working.
Vents Are Blowing Out Warm Air
Another clear sign that you need to call for AC repair is if you notice that your air vents are blowing out warm air instead of cool air. This isn’t always immediately noticeable, but after time, you might notice that your home is not cooling off, therefore leading you to stick your hand near the air vent. Obviously, if warm or lukewarm air is coming out of your air vents in your Fort Worth, TX home is never going to cool off. Therefore you need to call in an HVAC professional to take a look and get to the bottom of the situation quickly.
Many times this occurs when you have a leak in your refrigerant, and there is no longer any coolant to actually cool the air that is coming through your AC system. This can also be a thermostat that is not working or failing to properly detect that you have set it on cool mode. Take a quick minute to check your thermostat and make sure that you have the settings correctly set, and then you do have it on cool. If both of these things check out, then you will need to call for AC repair to figure out what is going on so that you can get cool air blowing out of your vents sooner than later.
Ice on the Outdoor AC Unit
This is a phenomenon that always gets people who live in Texas because they are shocked when they see ice forming on the outside of their outdoor AC unit. It is no secret that the temperatures can reach over the hundreds in Texas during the hot summer, which makes it seem impossible for ice to appear. However, the refrigerant that is inside of your evaporating coils is so effective that it can produce ice even in the warmest temperatures. The fact that they can pull off their feet should tell you that something is a ride because you should never see ice on your outdoor unit.
This is usually a sign that there’s a problem with your evaporator coils, such as a crack or a break, and it needs to be attended to right away. The ice that forms on the coils is usually due to extremely cool temperatures from the coolant, and if left on unaddressed it will ruin your outdoor unit and leave you needing to replace it. Therefore at any side of ice near your unit, you need to call for AC repair. You also should be aware that this is not normal and not something that ever happens on an AC unit without causing a major issue. Therefore do not ignore it just because it’s happening on your AC unit.
Rapid Cycling
Rapid cycling is a term that is used to describe when your AC unit starts turning on and off more frequently than usual in order to cool your Fort Worth, TX home. Usually, it does this when it is no longer effectively cooling because it is not able to keep your home at a set temperature without constantly cycling. While it is true when the temperatures are extreme outside that, your AC unit will need to cycle more often than usual, it should not constantly be cycling throughout the day. If it is, then you need to call for AC repair and get to the bottom of the issue before your utility bills spike.
One of the main problems with rapid cycling is that your AC unit uses the most energy when it is starting up and shutting down. Therefore if it is excessively shutting off and on throughout the day, you can expect your energy bills to sharply rise while you will not receive any more cold air than you would otherwise. The other issue is that this is also the most wear and tear on your system which means that it is prematurely aging your AC unit. Rapid cycling indicates that either your thermostat or your AC unit is not properly able to cool the air in your Fort Worth, TX home, and can be caused by a number of issues. A professional AC repair company should be able to evaluate your unit and diagnose the correct issue.
Odd Smells Coming Out of Your Furnace
Another huge issue that she should not ignore is if you notice that there are odd smells coming out of your air vents. Nobody likes old musty smells in their home, but if the old musty smell is coming from your air vents, then there’s a good chance that you have mold or mildew in your vents causing the problem. This is something that you can correct and will want to correct in order to improve the air quality within your home. Most AC repair companies are able to offer duct cleaning services that can remove the mold and mildew from your air duct so that everybody breathes easier and no one has to deal with that stale air smell.
There are other odd smells that need to be looked at immediately by an AC repair company because they can signal an emergency situation. For instance, if you smell any type of electrical burning or smoke coming from your air vent then you need to turn off your AC system right away and wait for a technician to look at and see if they can diagnose the problem. Another alarming smell would be natural gas which is scented to smell like rotten eggs and can be wasting through your air vents because your furnace is connected to your AC unit. Gas is highly explosive so you do not want to wait to call an AC repair company. While you were waiting for the AC repair company, if you know where the gas main is you should turn it off within your home and then leave.
Humidity Levels Are High in Your Home
If your AC is working correctly then you should not have very high humidity levels in your home. In fact, your home should be rather comfortable to sit in without that sticky and moist feeling that is produced by the heavy air outside of your home. Fort Worth, TX is known for its hot humid summers, and your home should be an escape from that. However, if your AC is not working optimally then you may find that your home is just as sticky and as comfortable as it is outdoors even if the temperature is lower prompting you to call for AC repair.
As part of AC repair, an HVAC technician can take a look at your AC unit and determine if it is working properly and contributing to the humidity problem within your home. They can also suggest a whole-house dehumidifier If the problem has more to do with leakage within your home and less to do with your AC unit. Either way, there are things you can do to help diminish this problem and restore your Fort Worth, TX home back to its comfortable state.
Air Current Is Diminished
Most people know approximately how much air flows through their air vents on a regular basis. If you happen to have children in your home, they probably stand near your air vents and could tell you exactly whether or not your AC unit is performing as it should be. With this in mind if you notice that there is very little air current coming through your air vents and this is a problem that needs to be addressed by an AC repair company.
There are a handful of reasons why your air current may be diminished and including everything from blocked docs to a compressor that is not properly blowing air through your home or a broken fan. Some of these issues are large and some of them are a quick fix but either way, your home will not cool properly and you will spend excess money on energy that you were not receiving any benefit from.
Breakers Keep Tripping
Finally, if you notice that your breaker keeps tripping every time your AC unit starts to cycle this is an indication that there’s something wrong with your electrical system. The breaker is designed to trip in order to protect your home from a power surge. An AC unit requires a large amount of energy and every so once in a while, it can trip for no apparent reason. However, if it is tripping on a continual basis then you need to have this investigated because it could pose a potential safety hazard. An AC repair company like One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth should be your first call in this instance.