HVAC Emergency? Call An Emergency Heating And AC Repair Service | North Richland Hills, TX
Texas summers are very hot, and winters can get very cold, so you rely on your HVAC system for most of the year. When your furnace or air conditioner acts up, it’s not uncommon to panic. Some HVAC issues aren’t too serious and can wait until you can find an HVAC tech with an opening; however, issues that put your home and family at risk are considered emergencies, and it’s best to call an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX immediately.
If you’re unsure if your HVAC issue is an emergency, read on.
#1 Insufficient Airflow
Sufficient airflow is essential to keep your home comfortable, and you should feel an intense rush of warm or cool air when standing in front of a vent in your home. If you feel minimal airflow, it’s best to call an emergency heating and AC repair service immediately.
Insufficient airflow will affect your home’s temperature, and the furnace or air conditioner must work harder to keep your home comfortable. This will consume more energy, and your electric bills will increase. In addition, the extra work will strain the unit, and if it isn’t fixed quickly, its lifespan will decrease.
The best way to avoid the financial issues due to insufficient airflow and to keep your home comfortable is to hire an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland, Hills, TX, immediately. A few issues can restrict the airflow, and you’ll need a licensed tech to determine the cause and make the repair.
- Damaged air ducts: Air ducts are hidden behind the walls, under the floors, or above the ceilings so that you won’t see visible signs of damage. If there’s a break in the ducts or the seal has failed, the warm or cool air will escape from the ducts before reaching the vents, causing insufficient airflow.
- An emergency heating and AC repair service will send a tech to inspect the ducts to find and repair the damaged ducts, restoring sufficient airflow.
- Clogged air ducts: The dirt, dust, and debris in the house will accumulate in the air ducts, regardless of how clean you keep your home. Up to five pounds of debris can accumulate in one year, and when too much accumulation occurs, it will clog the ducts, restricting the airflow. Clog ducts will also affect your home’s air quality. When the air conditioner or furnace runs, the debris will circulate in the air, putting your family at risk for allergies.
- An emergency heating and AC repair service will send a tech to clean the ducts and eliminate the debris, restoring the airflow and will improve the air quality.
- Blower issues: Your HVAC system has a blower that forces the hot and cold air from the units to the vent. If the blower isn’t working correctly, the treated air will remain stagnant in the air ducts, resulting in insufficient airflow.
- An emergency heating and AC repair service will send a tech to check the blower to determine if it can be fixed or must be replaced, and the airflow will be restored when the job is complete.
Insufficient airflow affects your home’s comfort and bank account, so it’s best to hire an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX immediately.
#2 A Foul Odor When the Unit Runs
It’s not uncommon to smell dust when you run the furnace or air conditioner for the first time during the season, and the smell should dissipate quickly. The furnace and AC shouldn’t emit a foul odor that could put your home and family at risk. Therefore, if you smell any of the following odors, it’s best to immediately call an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX.
- Burning: A burning smell when the heat or air conditioner runs is a serious problem because it can put your home and family at risk. The odor indicates a problem with the wiring, and the smell is caused by burning wire insulation. You cannot ignore the problem because it can start an electrical fire that could destroy your house in minutes, and you should call an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX immediately.
- They’ll send a tech to find the faulty wires and replace them before a disaster occurs, ensuring your home and family will be safe.
- Mold: A moldy smell in your house indicates mold growth somewhere in the HVAC system, which can be harmful to your family’s health. Mold exposure is dangerous and can result in health issues, such as chronic headaches, burning eyes, skin rashes, allergy symptoms, and respiratory problems. If a family member has a chronic respiratory or lung condition, mold exposure will worsen the condition and symptoms, so it’s best to call an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX immediately.
- The air ducts are the most common location for mold growth because they’re dark, and condensation will form when the house gets humid, creating the perfect environment for mold growth.
- A licensed HVAC tech will inspect the ducts for mold and will eradicate it using an antimicrobial fogger. If the ducts are mold-free, it could be in the air conditioner. Mold growth can occur in the unit if it isn’t maintained regularly and can be more challenging to eliminate. If the tech cannot eradicate every mold spore, the unit must be replaced to keep your family healthy. If they can eliminate the mold, you should have a UV lamp installed in the unit to prevent future mold and bacteria.
- Rotten eggs: A rotten egg smell indicates a gas leak, and you must get everyone out of the house and call 911 immediately because a gas leak can result in an explosion. The fire department will disconnect the gas service to your home to eliminate the risk of an explosion, and they’ll air out the house so it’s safe to go back inside. When the fire department leaves, it’s time to call an emergency heating and AC repair service. They’ll send a tech to your house to fix the leak so the gas can be restored and you can run the heat.
Foul odors when the furnace or air conditioner runs should never be ignored for the sake of your home and family. An emergency heating and AC repair service can resolve the problem quickly, ensuring the safety of your house and family.
#3 The Air Conditioner Produces Warm Air
Air conditioners are designed to produce cold air and eliminate the humidity in the air, ensuring your house stays cool and comfortable all summer. If you feel warm air coming from the vents, you may need to call an emergency heating and AC repair service. A lack of cold air is an emergency because the temperature inside can reach 120 degrees on a 90-degree day, putting your family at risk for heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
The problem could be something simple that you can resolve yourself, so you should check a couple of things to avoid an unnecessary service call. First, check the thermostat. It must be set to the cooling mode and be warmer in the house than the setting on the thermostat. You should also check the fan setting, which must be set to AUTO. If it’s set to ON, the fan will continue running between cycles, and you’ll feel warm air coming from the vents. Next, check the air filter. If it’s been a while since it was last replaced and covered in dirt and grime, air flow in the unit will be restricted, causing it to overheat and shut down.
If everything checks out on your end, it’s time to call an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX. A few issues can prevent the unit from producing cold air, and you’ll need a tech to diagnose the problem.
- Faulty compressor: The indoor unit and the outdoor compressor work together to keep your house cool and comfortable. If no power goes to the compressor or a component isn’t working correctly, the two units cannot work together, and the unit won’t produce cold air.
- An emergency heating and AC repair service will send a tech to inspect the compressor, determine why it isn’t working, and resolve the problem to restore the cold air.
- Refrigerant leak: Your air conditioner relies on refrigerant to keep your house cool. When formic acid eats away at the metal, it will create tiny holes that allow the refrigerant to leak, and the unit won’t produce cold air.
- If the unit was manufactured after 2010, an HVAC tech can fix the leak and refill the refrigerant to restore the cold air. Unfortunately, the unit must be replaced if it was manufactured before 2010. Older units use R-22 refrigerant to produce cold air, which the EPA deemed toxic and harmful to the ozone layer. A partial ban was placed on the refrigerant, and it was only available for existing units, and AC manufacturers were required to build units that didn’t use R-22. R-22 was banned entirely in the US on January 1, 2020, so the tech cannot get R-22, and replacing the unit is the only option.
- Frozen evaporator coils: The evaporator coils extract heat and humidity from the air to begin the cooling process, and if they’re frozen, the coils cannot do their job, and the air conditioner won’t produce cold air.
- An emergency heating and AC repair service will send a tech to your house to thaw the coils and determine why they froze to prevent them from freezing again.
A lack of cold air should always be addressed, and it’s best to call a professional as soon as the problem starts.
#4 The Furnace Produces Cool Air
It’s an emergency if your furnace fails to produce warm air because the temperature inside will match the temperature outside, and it can get very cold inside when it’s freezing outside. The last thing you want is for a family member to develop frostbite or hypothermia, so it’s best to hire an emergency heating and AC repair service in North Richland Hills, TX immediately.
A few issues can prevent the unit from producing warm air, including:
- Pilot light issues: The pilot must be lit for the furnace to run, and if it keeps going out, it’s best to hire a licensed HVAC tech.
- Flame sensor issue: If your unit doesn’t have a pilot, it has a flame sensor. When the component is covered in dirt and grime, it will deactivate the burner, preventing the unit from producing heat.
- Burner issue: If the burner is covered in dirt and grime, it can become clogged, the fuel won’t be able to get through, and the unit cannot produce warm air.
- Clogged condensate line: When the condensate line clogs, moisture will remain in the unit tripping the float switch, and the unit will shut down.
An emergency heating and AC repair company will send a tech to diagnose and repair the unit, restoring the heat to your home.
Call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth
If your HVAC system is acting up and you need to call an emergency heating and AC repair service, look no further than One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth.
We’re a full-service HVAC company, serving customers in the area since 1988. Our techs are highly trained, and their knowledge and skill have allowed them to tackle some of the most challenging jobs in the industry. Our techs must pass a background check and a drug test to ensure our techs feel safe when they allow our techs into their house. They must also receive ongoing training to ensure they can work with the latest HVAC technology.
If you need to schedule an appointment for emergency heating and AC repair service, give One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth a call today.
See our previous blog post here!