Signs It’s Time To Call An Air Conditioning Service | Fort Worth, TX
When summer comes, and it starts getting hot outside, your air conditioner becomes one of the most essential appliances in your home. The unit is designed to extract the heat and humidity from the house to produce cold air, ensuring your home is cool and comfortable.
If your air conditioner isn’t working correctly, your home can reach up to 120 degrees on a 90-degree day, making it impossible to stay comfortable. Also, high temperatures can put your family at risk for heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
If there’s an issue with your air conditioner, a DIY repair isn’t recommended. The AC is a complicated unit, and if you make one minor mistake, it can cause further problems that will be more expensive to fix. Also, working with electrical appliances can be dangerous. If you don’t have the proper training, you can get electrocuted.
It’s best to address air conditioning issues as soon as they arise, to prevent further damage from occurring; therefore, it’s essential that you can recognize the signs so you can call an air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, as quickly as possible.
If your unit experiences any of the following issues, it’s best to call a professional immediately.
#1 Restricted Airflow
When you stand in front of the vents in your home when the air conditioner runs, you should feel a powerful rush of cold air. If there’s minimal airflow from the vents, it’s best to call an air conditioning service in Fort Worth.
Restricted airflow can affect the temperature in your house. Your air conditioner will have to work harder to keep the house cool, consuming more energy and causing your electric bills to increase. Allowing the problem to persist can also decrease the unit’s lifespan. When the unit has to work harder than necessary for a significant amount of time, it will strain the unit, and it won’t last as long as it would if you had called an air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, right away.
A few problems can result in poor airflow, including:
- Clogged air ducts: This is the most common cause of restricted airflow. Regardless of how clean you keep your house, dirt, dust, and debris will accumulate in the air ducts. In just one year, up to five pounds of debris can accumulate, which will circulate in the air when the air conditioner runs, affecting your home’s air quality. Breathing in the debris from the air ducts can cause allergy symptoms, such as a stuffy or runny nose, itchy, or watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and respiratory issues.
An air conditioning service can send a tech to your home to clean the debris from the ducts, restoring the airflow. The best way to prevent this from happening again is to have the air ducts cleaned by a professional every three to five years. If you have pets or a family member has allergies, it’s best to have the ducts cleaned every three years. - Damaged air ducts: The air ducts in your home are designed to deliver cold air from the unit to the vents. The ducts are hidden under the floor, above the ceiling, or behind the walls for aesthetic purposes and aren’t visible. If there’s a crack or break in the ducts, or the sealant starts to wear out, you won’t be able to see it, and the only sign will be restricted airflow, requiring a call to an air conditioning service.
When the air conditioner runs, the treated air will escape from the damaged area before reaching the vents, resulting in poor airflow. An HVAC tech can inspect the air ducts for damage and make the necessary repair. When the ducts are repaired and sealed, the cold airflow will be restored, keeping your home cool, decreasing your energy bills, and will extend the unit’s lifespan. - Faulty blower: Your air conditioner has a blower designed to force the cool air from the unit through the air ducts to the vents located throughout your home. You’ll still feel cool air if the blower isn’t working, but it will be minimal.
An air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, can send a tech to your home to inspect the blower and determine if it can be fixed or if replacing it is the best option. When the blower works correctly, your home’s airflow will be restored.
Poor airflow from the vents can affect your home’s temperature, your bank account, and the air conditioner; therefore, it’s best to immediately call an air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, to restore the flow of cold air.
#2 The Air Conditioner Produces Warm Air
Feeling warm air from the vents when the air conditioner runs is the most obvious sign it’s time to call an air conditioning service. If the unit produces warm air, it can get almost as warm in the house as it is outside, which can cause heat-related illnesses. A few issues can prevent the unit from producing warm air, and you’ll need an HVAC professional to find the cause and resolve the problem.
Before you make the call, you should check a few things on your end to avoid an unnecessary service call, and you can start with the thermostat. If the thermostat isn’t set correctly, the unit won’t get the correct signals and won’t produce cold air. The thermostat must be set to the cooling mode, and it has to be warmer in the house than the setting on the thermostat. Next, check the fan, and it should be set to auto. If it’s set to on, the fan will continue running between air conditioning cycles, and you’ll feel warm air from the vent.
Next, check the air filter. If it’s been a while since you replaced it and it’s covered in dirt and grime, there won’t be adequate airflow in the unit, causing it to overheat. When this happens, the unit will produce warm air.
If everything checks out on your end, it’s time to call an air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, to determine which of the following problems is preventing the unit from producing cold air.
- Faulty compressor: Your indoor air conditioning unit cannot produce cold air on its own and works in conjunction with the outdoor compressor. If there’s something wrong with the compressor or there’s no power going to the unit, you’ll feel warm air coming from the vents.
An HVAC tech can inspect the compressor to find the problem and make the necessary repair to restore the cold air. - Frozen evaporator coils: The evaporator coils are essential to your air conditioner. The coils extract the heat and humidity from the house to begin the cooling cycle. If the coils are frozen, they can’t do their job, and the unit will produce warm air.
A few issues can cause the evaporator coils to freeze, including:- Poor airflow in the unit
- Dirty air filter
- Clogged condensate line
- Dirty evaporator coils
- Refrigerant leak
- You ran the AC when it was too cold outside.
- An air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, can send a tech to your home to thaw the evaporator coils. When they’re thawed, the tech will figure out why they froze in the first place to prevent it from happening again.
- Refrigerant leak: Your air conditioner requires an adequate amount of refrigerant to produce cold air, and a refrigerant leak will cause the unit to produce warm air. Refrigerant leaks can occur over time due to normal wear and tear. Also, the acid can corrode the metal, creating pinhole leaks and allowing the refrigerant to leak.
If the unit was installed after 2010, an air conditioning service in Fort Worth, TX, can send a tech to your home to fix the leak and refill the refrigerant. If the unit was installed before 2010, the solution to the problem won’t be so simple, and you’ll need to replace the unit. Older units were designed to work with R-22 refrigerant, which was banned in 2020 because it’s toxic and depletes the ozone layer. The tech won’t waste time fixing the leak because they won’t have the R-22 to refill the system, and you’ll need to replace it with a newer model.
#3 A Foul Odor When the Unit Runs
Your air conditioner shouldn’t emit a smell when it’s working correctly. It’s normal to smell dust when you turn on the AC for the first time during the cooling season, but the smell will dissipate within a few minutes. Any other strange smells require a call to an air conditioning service.
- Burning: If you smell something burning when the unit runs, it indicates a wiring issue, and you’ll smell the wire insulation burning. This is a serious problem, and neglecting to address it can result in an electrical fire that can destroy your home in minutes, and it’s best to turn off the AC and call an air conditioning service in Fort Worth immediately.
A tech will come to your home to inspect the unit to find the faulty wire so it can be replaced before a disaster occurs. - Mold: A moldy smell often indicates mold in the air ducts. The ducts are dark, and condensation can form when it gets humid in the house, creating the perfect breeding ground for mold. Unfortunately, the foul smell is the least of your problems, and the mold can put your family’s health at risk, so it’s best to call an air conditioning service in Fort Worth immediately.
When the air conditioner runs, mold spores will circulate in the air, resulting in several health issues, including:- Allergy symptoms
- Chronic headaches
- Burning eyes, nose, and throat
- Unexplained skin rashes
- Respiratory problems
- A weakened immune system
- Worsens chronic lung or respiratory conditions
An air conditioning service will send a tech to your home to inspect the ducts for mold, which can be eliminated with an antimicrobial fogger. If the ducts are clear, there could be mold in the air conditioner, which can be more challenging to eradicate. If the tech can rid the unit of mold, you should consider installing a UV lamp to prevent future mold growth.
If the tech cannot eradicate every mold spore, you’ll need to replace the unit to keep your family healthy.
#4 Strange Sounds
Your air conditioner is designed to be whisper quiet, and you should only hear a faint clicking sound when the unit cycles. If you hear any strange sounds, such as banging, rattling, screaming, or hissing, it’s best to call an air conditioning service immediately. These sounds indicate broken or loose parts, indoor or outdoor fan issues, refrigerant leaks, and other problems that will only worsen the longer you wait to call a professional.
An air conditioning service will send a tech to inspect the unit to figure out what’s causing the sound and make the necessary repair.
Call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating Of Fort Worth Today
If there’s an issue with your AC and you need to call an air conditioning service, call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth. We’re a full-service HVAC company, serving customers in the area since 1988. Thanks to our excellent service, many of our customers have been working with us for decades.
Our techs can handle any HVAC job, regardless of its complexity. They are professionally trained, certified, and have the knowledge and experience to resolve your HVAC issue.
Our techs are required to receive ongoing education to keep up with the latest technology. HVAC technology is constantly evolving, and we want to be sure our techs can install, maintain and repair the newest HVAC models.
Your comfort is our top priority, so we provide emergency service. If you have an HVAC issue that affects your home’s temperature or puts your house or family at risk, we’ll get a tech to your home as quickly as possible.
To schedule an appointment for air conditioning service or any other HVAC job, give us a call today.