AC Repair Tips And Info | Grapevine, TX
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One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth serving Grapevine, TX knows how hot and humid it can get in our region and your safety is our top priority. In summer, temperatures can reach over 100 degrees with humidity to match. Without a working air conditioner, living conditions can soon get challenging. This is when you need a reliable AC repair company to fix your air conditioner quickly.
How to Avoid a Costly AC Repair
One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating recommends that your air conditioner be regularly maintained. This is the best thing you can do to avoid an AC repair. You may be tempted to miss your annual maintenance to save some money, but this is a false economy.
You may be without your air conditioner for some time as you try to find somebody to fix it. An average AC repair bill and callout charge can easily set you back hundreds of dollars. Routine service is a percentage of an emergency fix and will give you peace of mind during those long summer months as well as reducing your energy bills by ensuring that it is running as efficiently as possible.
What Can Go Wrong with an Air Conditioner?
At the peak of summer, most air conditioners will be on all day and night. The constant wear and tear from round-the-clock use will mean that they are more likely to break down and need an AC repair. Listed below are the most common signs that you need a repair, any of which could mean that you need to call One Hour serving Grapevine, TX.
Your Air Conditioner Is Getting Older
Older air conditioners will not be as efficient as newer ones. Installing a new unit is not going to be cheap, but it will pay for itself over time with lower energy costs and less AC repairs and maintenance. Other advantages include that a newer unit will be more environmentally friendly and that your air quality will improve.
Short-Cycling
Normally, an air conditioner will have about three cooling cycles each hour. The compressor will run for 10 minutes to complete a full cooling cycle and then will rest for another ten minutes. If your air conditioner is unable to complete the correct cooling cycling period, then your home will not reach the desired level of cooling. Typically, this is a problem with dirty air filters, frozen evaporator coils, and low coolant levels that could trigger short cycling. Most of these causes will be dealt with during a regular maintenance schedule.
Unusually High Energy Bills
You expect your energy bills to increase during the summer as you use your air conditioner more. But if the increase is larger than you expected, this could be due to faulty or older parts having to work harder. A harder working part will use more energy. The harder working component could also overheat and lead to an AC repair.
Reduced Cooling Effect
The main function of the air conditioner is to remove the excess heat and humidity from your home. The coolant in the evaporator coils extracts the heat and moisture from the warm air blown over them. There could be several reasons for the reduction in the amount of cool air blown back into your home. These include dirty air filters, a faulty fan, dirty evaporator coils, and low coolant levels in your unit.
High Humidity Levels
If the cooling effect is reduced, then the air blown back into your home will be warmer. Warmer air contains more moisture than colder air and so the air inside your home will be more humid.
Another cause of higher humidity is water overflowing the drain pan. The excess water from the warm air is collected in the drain pan and then flows outside your home through the AC drain line. Should these be blocked for any reason, the water in the drain pan will have nowhere to go and will overflow into your air conditioner and then onto the floor.
A blocked AC drain line could cause the air conditioner to shut down, so it is always worth checking outside to see whether it is blocked by dirt or leaves, it could save from an unnecessary AC repair.
You Notice Strange Smells
Because of the increased levels of moisture in the drain pan and AC drain line, moss and algae are more likely to grow. This will not only cause a blockage but could be the cause of any moldy smell you may detect and cause breathing problems for people with asthma and COPD.
Any burning smell you detect could be due to any loose wiring or solder. Any burning smell could indicate a potential source of a fire. You should turn off the air conditioner and call One Hour immediately.
Odd Noises
The fans can be the source of strange noises coming from your air conditioner. Any clunking sounds could be due to a loose or bent blade hitting the insides of your unit. Worn-out fan belts or bearings could be the source of any piercing screeching sounds. If you are concerned about any strange noises coming from your air conditioner you should call us straight away.
Frost and Ice Starting to Form on the Evaporator Coils
Low coolant levels could allow frost and ice to form on the evaporator coils. Poor airflow due to a faulty fan or dirty air filters will also increase this risk. If the frost and ice layer is allowed to increase, this too will have a detrimental effect. The frost and ice act as an insulating layer, reducing the rate at which heat is absorbed from the warm air. This further reduces the cooling effect.
If you ignore the frost and ice forming, you run the risk that the evaporator coils will completely freeze over. You will need to turn the air conditioner off for up to 24 hours to allow the coils to thaw, this is not a good thing to happen on a hot summer’s day. If the coils freeze too many times you increase the need for an AC repair or even a replacement air conditioner.
A Trusted AC Repair Company
One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth has been serving the people of Grapevine, TX since 1988. We realize how important it is to offer a speedy air conditioner service during hot Texas summers and that is why we have technicians available 24/7 waiting for your call. Please don’t hesitate if you believe your AC needs attention. Call us today!