HVAC Issues That Require A Call To A Professional In Heating And AC Repair | Azle, TX
Your HVAC system is essential to keep your home comfortable. You rely on the air conditioner to keep your house cool and comfortable during the summer and your furnace to keep your house warm during the winter. If your air conditioner or furnace isn’t working correctly, a DIY repair isn’t recommended, and you should call a professional as soon as possible. It’s best to have problems addressed immediately to prevent the issue from escalating, which can lead to a complete breakdown.
If your HVAC system experiences any of the following problems, it’s best to call a heating and AC repair professional immediately.
#1 Minimal Airflow
You should feel a powerful rush of warm or cold air when your furnace or air conditioner runs. If you feel minimal airflow, it’s best to hire a heating and AC repair professional immediately.
Poor airflow will cause the air conditioner or furnace to work harder than usual, consuming more energy, and your energy bills will increase. Also, the excess work will strain the units, reducing the maximum lifespan, and you’ll need to replace them sooner.
A few issues can cause restricted airflow, including:
- Clogged air ducts: Clogged air ducts are the most common cause of reduced airflow. The dirt, dust, and debris from your house will get into the air ducts and will accumulate over time, regardless of how clean you keep your home. Up to five pounds of debris can accumulate in the air ducts in one year and will continue accumulating, preventing adequate airflow.
Clogged ducts affect your home’s air quality and can make your family sick. When the air conditioner or furnace runs, the debris from the ducts will circulate in the air, and your family can develop allergies, and you’ll need an HVAC professional to ensure the air quality is safe.
An HVAC professional in Azle, TX can clean the debris from the ducts, restoring the airflow, and your family will be healthy. It would be best if you had a duct cleaning service performed every three to five years to prevent the ducts from clogging again. - Damaged air ducts: Your air ducts are hidden behind the walls, under the floor, or above the ceiling so that you won’t see any visible damage. If the ducts are cracked, or the seal fails, the heated or cool air will leak from the damaged area, resulting in minimal airflow.
A heating and AC repair professional in Azle, TX will inspect the ducts for damage and make the necessary repair to restore adequate airflow.
If you have a duct cleaning service performed every three to five years, the tech will inspect the ducts for damage, and it can be repaired before the airflow is affected. - Broken blower: Your HVAC system has a blower designed to force the warm or cool air from the unit through the ducts and to the vents to keep your house comfortable. If the blower isn’t working, the air won’t be forced, and the airflow will be minimal.
An HVAC tech will inspect the blower to see if they can fix it or if a replacement is the better option.
Because restricted airflow can affect your electric bills and the lifespan of the furnace and AC, it’s best to have the problem addressed immediately.
#2 The Furnace Produces Cool Air
If your furnace produces cold air, it’s best to hire a heating and AC repair professional immediately. When it gets cold in the winter, the temperature inside will be close to the temperature outside if your furnace isn’t working, and your house can get dangerously cold, and dressing in layers won’t help.
Before calling a professional, check the thermostat setting. The furnace won’t produce warm air if it isn’t set correctly. It must be set to the heating mode, and the temperature setting should be cooler than the temperature in the house. Also, the fan must be set to auto. If the fan is on, it will continue running between cycles, and you’ll feel cool air coming from the vents.
Next, check the air filter. If it’s covered in grime and soot, it will prevent adequate airflow in the furnace, causing it to shut down.
Finally, check the fuel source to ensure the unit gets the propane, oil, or natural gas it needs to produce warm air.
If everything checks out on your end, it’s time to call a heating and AC repair professional in Azle, TX. A few issues can cause the problem, and you’ll need a professional to diagnose the problem.
- Pilot issues: The pilot ignites the burners to start the warming process, and there should always be a blue flame. If the pilot isn’t working correctly, the furnace will produce warm air and should be checked by a professional in heating and AC repair so that they can resolve the problem.
- Dirty flame detector: If your furnace doesn’t have a pilot, it has a flame detector to complete each heating cycle. If it’s covered in dirt and grime, the furnace will lose heat quickly, and you’ll feel cool air coming from the vents.
An HVAC professional can clean the flame detector and sterilize it to prevent the problem from happening again. - Clogged condensate lines: Most newer furnaces have a condensate line that helps remove moisture from the system. If the condensation line is clogged, the burners will deactivate, and the furnace will blow cool air.
A heating and AC repair tech can unclog the line, restoring the warm air.
It’s best to call a professional immediately after you detect the problem so that it can be resolved and the heat will be restored.
#3 The Air Conditioner Produces Warm Air
If you feel warm air from the vents when the air conditioner is on, you should immediately call a heating and AC repair professional. When the temperature outside reaches 90 degrees, the temperature in your house can reach 120 degrees, putting your family at risk for heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Before hiring a professional, you should check a few things to avoid an unnecessary service call. Start by checking the thermostat, and make sure it’s set to the cooling mode, the fan is on, and it’s warmer in the house than the thermostat setting. Also, check the air filter for dirt and grime. If it’s been a while since you replaced the filter, the dirt and grime will prevent adequate airflow in the unit, and it will overheat and shut down.
If everything checks out on your end, it’s time to call a heating and AC repair professional in Azle, TX. A few issues can prevent the unit from producing cold air, and you’ll need a professional to diagnose the problem.
- Refrigerant leak: Your air conditioner needs refrigerant to produce cold air; if the refrigerant leaks, the unit won’t produce cold air. Leaks occur when acid eats away at the metal, creating tiny pinholes that allow the refrigerant to leak.
If your unit was installed after 2010, a heating and AC repair professional can fix the leak and refill the refrigerant. The air conditioner must be replaced if the unit was installed before 2010. Older units were designed to use R-22 refrigerant, which the EPA deemed toxic and harmful to the ozone layer. R-22 was banned in the United States on January 1, 2020, so the tech won’t bother to fix the leak because they won’t have the R-22 to refill the unit, and your only option will be to replace the unit. - Frozen evaporator coils: The evaporator coils extract the heat and humidity in the air to begin the cooling process. If the coils have frozen, they can’t do their job, and the unit won’t be able to produce cold air.
A few issues can cause the evaporator coils to freeze, including:- Poor airflow
- Dirty evaporator coils
- Low refrigerant
- Clogged drainpipe
- You ran the AC when it was too cold outside.
- A heating and AC repair professional in Azle, TX, will thaw the coils to allow the cooling process to start. They will also figure out why the coils froze so you can take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again.
- Broken compressor: The indoor unit and outdoor compressor work together to keep your home cool. If the compressor isn’t working, the cooling process won’t begin, and you’ll feel warm air from the vents.
A heating and AC repair tech can inspect and repair the compressor, restoring the cold air.
Nobody wants to sit in the house on a 90+ degree day without air conditioning, so it’s best to hire a heating and AC repair professional as soon as the problem starts.
#4 Foul Smells
Your air conditioner and furnace shouldn’t emit smells if they run correctly. When you turn on the furnace for the first time during the heating season or the air conditioner for the first time during the cooling season, it’s normal to emit a dusty smell, which should dissipate within several minutes.
If you smell anything other than dust, it’s best to call a heating and AC repair professional immediately because foul odors indicate issues that can put your home and family at risk.
- Burning: If you smell something burning when the furnace or AC runs, turn the unit off immediately and call a heating and AC repair professional. The odor indicates a wiring issue, and you smell the wire insulation burning. If you don’t have the problem fixed immediately, it could start an electrical fire that can destroy your house in minutes.
An HVAC professional in Azle, TX can fix the wiring issue, and you can turn the heat or air conditioning back on. - Rotten eggs: If your furnace emits a rotten egg smell, turn it off immediately, get everyone out of the house, and call 911. The odor indicates a gas leak that can cause an explosion, so you can see how dangerous the problem is.
The fire department will cut the gas service to your house and then open the windows to air it out. When it’s safe to go back inside, schedule an emergency appointment with a heating and AC repair professional. When the tech fixes the leak, the gas will be restored to your house, and you can turn the furnace back on. - Mold: A moldy smell often indicates mold in the air ducts and will do more than cause a foul odor in your house. When you run the air conditioner or furnace, mold spores from the ducts will circulate in the air, causing mold-related health conditions, including:
- Allergy symptoms
- Respiratory issues
- Skin rashes
- Chronic headaches
- Weakened immune system
- Worsens chronic lung or respiratory conditions
- A heating and AC repair professional in Azle, TX will check the duct for mold, which can be eradicated with an antimicrobial fogger. If the air ducts are clear, the mold could be in the air conditioner, and this often occurs due to poor maintenance and is harder to eliminate. The unit must be replaced if the tech can’t reach every mold spore.
Foul odors should never be ignored and require emergency repair service.
Call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth
If you need to hire a heating and AC repair professional, look no further than One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth. We’re a full-service HVAC company, proudly serving customers in the area since 1988.
Our HVAC techs are professionally trained, NATE certified, and have the knowledge and skill to make the most challenging repairs in the industry. They also receive ongoing training to ensure they can install, maintain, and repair the latest HVAC models.
If your HVAC system experiences an issue that must be addressed immediately, don’t panic. We provide emergency service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and we will get a tech to your home as quickly as possible to resolve the problem.
To schedule an appointment for heating and AC repair service, call us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth.