Do You Need An HVAC Tuneup Or Emergency Heating And AC Repair Service? | Fort Worth, TX
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If you are lucky, your HVAC machine will perform well up until the day it dies, and you will never need to call for emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX. However, HVAC systems are unpredictable, and this is not always the case. Sometimes new HVAC systems break down, and sometimes very old systems that have just been serviced break down. This is why it is so important that you have an HVAC company you can trust in your phone, and why you always need to know what signs to look for so that you can get help hopefully before the breakdown and need emergency heating and AC repair service.
With the advancement of technology, hopefully, one day an automated system will be able to send you a notification that you need service, but that day has not come yet. Therefore, you need to learn to recognize the most common indications that you need emergency heating and AC repair service so that you can seek out help on your own. While your system can’t speak to you, it can tell you in many other ways that it needs help. Your job is not to ignore the signals that it is subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) giving off like banging noises or odd smells that indicate you need emergency heating and AC repair service.
While this may sound intimidating, usually it isn’t as hard as it sounds. Most homeowners get used to the way that their HVAC system functions, and therefore notice when things go off. What you need to learn is to trust your instincts and listen to them when they tell you that something is wrong. Instead of just looking the other way, if you notice something is majorly off then you need to call for emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX.
On the other hand, if you notice that something is off, such as how much your system is cycling or how cool the air is getting in your home, then you may just need a tune-up and not actually emergency heating and AC repair service. This is actually a great observation and a good pick-up because sometimes a tune-up is the best way to avoid finding yourself in an emergency situation. Once again, being proactive is the best way to protect yourself in the future against bigger issues. With that in mind, here are a few signs that you need a tune-up, and a few signs that you need to call for emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX.
Signs You Need an HVAC Tune-up
Sometimes your HVAC unit just needs a tune-up to get back into shape. Everyone needs a bit of maintenance from time to time and the same is true of your HVAC machine. You wouldn’t skip basic hygiene tasks like brushing your teeth, cutting your hair, and shaving so you don’t want to skip your HVAC tune-up which is basically hygiene tasks for your HVAC system.
An HVAC tune-up includes inspection, lubrication, and thorough cleaning and is essential for making sure that both your furnace and your AC work properly throughout the rest of the year. By scheduling a tune-up once a year or immediately if you notice any of the signs listed below you can avoid an unexpected breakdown and help ensure that your AC continues to function properly throughout the rest of the year. Homes that keep up with their HVAC tune-ups are much less likely to need emergency heating and AC repair service and usually save in repair costs overall.
Rapid Cycling
First off, you need to pay attention to whether or not your AC is cycling normally. Rapid cycling is a sign that something is wrong, and is easily identifiable as cycles that are out of the norm. Most likely, you have a vague idea of how often your AC or furnace turns on and off during the winter. In most homes, this happens periodically throughout the day, but not enough to cause alarm. Therefore, if you start to notice that it seems like your furnace or AC is always kicking on or off you probably have a problem.
What is interesting about rapid cycling is that most homeowners don’t notice when things are not working correctly, but they almost immediately notice when things start working incorrectly. Therefore, if you are suddenly noticing the different cycles this itself is a sign that something is wrong with your HVAC system. The problem with rapid cycling is that it will drive up your utility bills quickly since the process of turning on and off is the most energy-intensive.
It is also the hardest on your system, so a system that is constantly turning on and off needs to be looked at because the wear and tear are pretty tough. If you notice that the rapid cycling turns into almost every couple of minutes or just non-stop throughout the day, then you need to actually call for emergency heating and AC repair service because at this point your system is probably going to wear down quickly. This is also a sign that your system is unable to cool or heat your home as it should be, so you really need to get it addressed quickly. Therefore, an increase in cycling indicates you need a tune-up, but constant cycling means it is time for emergency heating and AC repair service.
Higher Utility Bills
Anytime your system is exerting more energy than it should be you will see the difference reflected in your energy bills. One example is the rapid cycling mentioned above, although symptoms include uneven cooling and a rise in the dust. You may not notice any other symptoms because a damaged component that is forcing your system to work harder may not always be noticeable, but you will see the difference in your utility bill.
For that reason, any time you see a sudden spike in your heating or cooling bill you should automatically start to think about the last time you had an HVAC tune-up. If you can’t remember the last time that you had a tune-up, this alone is a good sign that you need one and a great place to start.
Excessive Dust
One great perk of a tune-up is that it cleans out your entire HVAC system, which may explain why there is an excessive amount of dust in your home. If it seems like dust builds up quicker than you can clean it, you may need a tune-up to help remove the dust from your system so that it doesn’t continuously build up everywhere. This also could be an indication that dust is building up in your air ducts, so it is possible that your HVAC technician might recommend you have a duct cleaning as well. It’s actually a great question to ask them about.
Uneven Cooling
Uneven cooling is another sign that your HVAC system is not heating or cooling properly. If you previously did not have any issues with cold spots or hot spots throughout your home but are suddenly noticing issues popping up then the best place to start is with an AC tune-up. If that doesn’t fix the problem then you may need to talk to the technician about upgrades you can invest in to boost the power of your Fort Worth, TX home HVAC system.
Bad Odors from Your AC or Furnace
There are a lot of doors that you never want to smell coming from your air ducts, some of which indicate that you need to clean your system and some of which indicate that you need to actually call for emergency heating and AC repair service. For instance, moldy or stale smells are things that you can address with a technician during a tune-up while electrical or gas smells are instances where you need to call someone for emergency heating and AC repair service. The bottom line is that you shouldn’t smell anything coming from your AC, but if you do then it is time to carefully consider what you smell and what the probable cause could be.
Signs You Need Emergency and AC Repair Service
Of course, machines are machines and that means that sometimes things just break even without good reason. With that in mind, sometimes problems that can seem to arise out of nowhere are huge issues. The quicker you address these issues the better the chance that your AC can be repaired and not end up needing to be replaced. Ignoring any of these signs can lead to irreversible damage that can get very expensive very quickly. For that reason, you need to pay close attention to your HVAC if you notice that any of these issues are popping up.
Odd Noises
Some noises are never good. Loud whistling, screeching, and banging is all signs that something is either broken down inside of your HVAC system or is about to break down. The longer you allow these noises to continue the more damage they will do. The best action you can take if you notice any odd noises is to quickly call for emergency heating and AC repair service and then turn off your system until it can be inspected. There are an array of reasons why these types of noises can occur, and most of them are not great.
You should never wait and hope that the noises go away because most of the time if the noise stops it is an even more concerning sign because the part that was damaged and making that sound is probably now completely dislodged. Save yourself from a complete breakdown and take prompt action to call for an emergency heating and AC repair service.
Warm Air Blowing Instead of AC
While this should be a no-brainer, if you are getting warm air out of your AC then you have an immediate issue. The best-case scenario is that you need to replace the batteries in your thermostat, the worst-case scenario is that your compressor is broken which may or may not mean you need to replace your unit depending on its age. After checking the batteries, you need to call for emergency heating and AC repair service so that you can get to the bottom of the issue quickly because the summer air in Fort Worth, TX is not very forgiving.
Furnace Blowing Room Temp Air
At the same time, you also don’t want to discover that your furnace is blowing room temperature air during the winter months. If your furnace is not effectively warming your home then you need to call for an emergency heating and AC repair service because things are not going to resolve themselves on their own and the nights can get cold. The sooner you get to the bottom of the issue the better.
Compromised Air Current
On the subject of air current, if your air current suddenly becomes much less pronounced this is another sign that something is going wrong with your HVAC system. This can also be why your home is not properly heating or cooling because diminished airflow will make it hard for your system to reach its desired temperature. It will also make your HVAC system work much harder leading to eventual premature breakdown. Therefore, if you notice that the air current is much less than usual you need to call for emergency heating and AC repair service right away.
Breakers Continue to Trip
Finally, if your circuit breaker trips when your AC or furnace powers on you have a big issue that needs to be investigated thoroughly. One random time can be a fluke, continual trips mean that something is surging and needs to be addressed immediately because it could be potentially dangerous or even a fire hazard. An emergency heating and AC repair service technician can help you get to the bottom of the issue quickly.
Have you noticed any signs that you need emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX? One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth can help. Give us a call and we will get a technician out to your home quickly.