Top Causes Of Air Conditioning Repair Issues And How To Avoid Them | Fort Worth, TX
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It only takes one day of a Texas summer to convince most people that every home needs a reliable air conditioner. Everyone deserves a cool sanctuary where they can relax and enjoy even the hottest day with their family. Unfortunately, many homeowners in Fort Worth, TX know the heartache of coming home to a hot house and a broken air conditioning unit.
When your air conditioner needs repair, you should always call for service from a professional. An amateur handyman operation may offer low prices, but there is no guarantee of what you will actually receive for payment. They offer no licensing, insurance, or other form of protection that you would have with an air conditioning repair professional, and you have no proof of their skill or training. You could end up needing even more repairs to fix the incompetence of a novice.
If you want to keep your air conditioner from breaking down right when you need it most, you should know about the most common AC repair jobs and how to avoid them in the future.
Refrigerant Is Low
Your air conditioner relies on refrigerant to remove the heat and humidity from the air inside your home. Every air conditioner requires a precise amount of refrigerant to be able to cool your house properly. Too much or too little could cause problems for your unit. That’s why it is crucial that you contact your air conditioning repair specialist when you need more refrigerant. Only a professional will know the exact amount of refrigerant to add to keep your air conditioner working at optimal levels.
The refrigerant in your air conditioner does not burn out like the oil in your car, so you should be able to maintain the correct level without adding any. However, if you develop a leak in the refrigerant line, you could lose your refrigerant quickly.
There are several signs that you do not have enough refrigerant in your air conditioner. You will probably notice that your air conditioning unit can no longer keep your house comfortable. There may be uneven cooling, leaving some rooms much warmer than others. Your air conditioner may not turn off as often as it did before, making your unit work much harder to try to cool your Fort Worth, TX house.
If you have a refrigerant leak in your air conditioning unit, you need more than just a refill of refrigerant. You need an air conditioning repair professional to determine where the leaks are and to fix any leaks in your refrigerant line. You may have more than one leak, so you need an expert to check it out to be sure it is fixed.
Condenser Coils Are Dirty
The condenser coils are part of your outdoor air conditioning unit. As such, they have to deal with a lot of debris, environmental trash, dirt, grime, and pollution on a daily basis. Keeping them clean is easy. Remembering to check the outside unit for brush and trash is the part most people have trouble doing.
You should check your home’s outside air conditioning unit regularly, to make sure trash and dirt are not covering it up. Just take a walk around your house to see for yourself whether there are any issues, so you can remove any leaves, sticks, and trash that have blown against the unit. For most homes, once a week should be often enough to avoid problems.
The condenser coils get rid of all the heat that has been pulled out of the air by forcing it outside your house. If they become coated with dirt and grime, your condenser coil will not be able to perform this function. The dirty coil will no longer be able to transfer the heat as it should, which makes your air conditioner work much harder than it should. This can lead to wearing out of the parts, costing you more in AC repair or replacement costs.
Evaporator Coils Are Frozen
The evaporator coil on your home’s air conditioning unit is full of refrigerant. It is responsible for soaking up the heat from the interior air. Your evaporator coil needs a certain amount of warm air to circulate around them for them to work as they should.
If your evaporator coil loses its warm air flow, it can cause a layer of ice to form on the outside of the coil. This keeps the evaporator coil from properly removing the heat from the air, leaving you with warm air or none at all from your air conditioner.
Problems with the Fan
Your home air conditioner contains two fans, one that blows your interior air over the evaporator to lower the temperature of the air and one that blows on the condenser on the outdoor unit. The second one gets rid of the heat that has been absorbed by pushing it out of your home.
There are several things that can go wrong with either of these fans. You could have inadequate lubrication, a bad motor, worn out belts, or an abundance of dirt and debris, for example. If either one of your air conditioner’s fans is not working as it should, you will have poor airflow and overall performance from your air conditioner.
If you are having a problem with one or both of your air conditioner fans, you need to contact your air conditioning repair technician as soon as you can. Avoiding the issue can lead to failure of the compressor, which often results in full air conditioner replacement for the homeowner. Your AC repair specialist in Fort Worth, TX can get to the problem before you end up with an expensive replacement before it’s time.
Ducts Are Leaking
Your home contains extensive ductwork that runs through the walls and ceilings. It is necessary to carry the cool air from your air conditioner and distribute it throughout your house. As long as the ducts are properly sealed, your air conditioner can disperse the cooled air where it needs to be. However, if you have leaks in your ducts, your air conditioner will have to struggle to try to cool your house properly, while the cool air stays in your walls.
Your air conditioning repair professional in Fort Worth, TX can inspect your ducts, to ensure that there are no leaks or holes where the air can escape. If you have any leaks, they can make sure to seal them up, so you aren’t paying extra to cool the inside of your walls instead of the rooms of your house. That will keep your air conditioner from burning itself out trying to accomplish the impossible and produce the cool results you want in your home.
Problems with the Thermostat
Your thermostat is in charge of keeping your home at the temperature you choose for comfort. If it is not working properly, your air conditioner will not be able to keep your house at that temperature. Thermostat problems are common in the traditional dial models, leaving you without any control over your home’s comfort level.
If you can’t get your thermostat to work, you might want to check the batteries inside it. Change them, if needed, and try to set your air conditioner again. If nothing has changed, you may have a faulty thermostat. Your air conditioning repair tech can quickly set you up with a new thermostat that will help you keep your inside temperatures under control.
To avoid further issues with your thermostat, you might want to change to a newer digital model. They provide better accuracy and lack the problems of the old dial models. Talk to your air conditioning repair specialist today to find out what model would work best for your household.
Drains Are Clogged
Your air conditioner pulls the moisture out of the air in your house. That fluid then flows down the drain line into the drain pan, exiting through a drain. This process works well until something clogs up the drain line or the drain pan gets full. If this happens, it can cause the water to back up into your home. This can not only damage your air conditioning unit, it can harm your walls, floors, furniture, and ceilings. It also creates a perfect habitat for harmful mold, which can destroy your family’s health.
If you notice a problem with the drainage system of your unit, contact your air conditioning repair specialist for help quickly. This can save your air conditioner and keep your home beautiful and healthy.
Tips on Preventing Air Conditioning Repair Problems
You need the help of an air conditioning repair professional when you have these or any other problems with your unit. But there are some things you can do to prevent the need for air conditioning repair.
Replace Your Filters Regularly
One of the biggest causes of air conditioning repair is a dirty filter. While the task itself is simple enough, it can be hard for a homeowner to remember to do it often enough.
Many homeowners are confused about how often they need to change their air filter. You should check the manufacturer’s information that came with your new air conditioning unit. That should tell you what is advised for your specific model. Having said that, you may need to change your air filter more often because of your unique situation. There are many factors that can affect how long it takes for your air filter to become clogged with dirt, including how many pets are in the house. If you want to make sure you keep your filter clean, monitor your air filter closely for a month. You should be able to determine how often you should change your filter for your air conditioner’s performance.
Have Your Air Conditioning Repair Professional Inspect Your Ducts
Knowledge is power. And your air conditioning repair technician can give you all the knowledge you need about your ducts by a simple inspection every year. They can determine if there are any leaks and where they are. They can spot any areas where a clog could form which would keep your air conditioner from cooling your house properly. Armed with this information, your air conditioning tech can seal up any leaks, remove any blockages, and keep your air conditioner working better for a longer time.
Upgrade to a Programmable Thermostat
Older thermostats tend to have certain problems that keep your air conditioner from working its best. Talk to your air conditioning repair professional about upgrading to a new programmable thermostat instead. These modern thermostats are more energy efficient and more precise than the old models. You can even choose a smart thermostat that allows you to control it remotely from your mobile phone.
Keep the Outdoor Unit Cleared of Debris
Cleanliness does more than make your home look nice. Keeping your outside air conditioning unit clear from trash and environmental debris makes your yard look more well maintained, but it also keeps your air conditioner working at optimal levels. Your air conditioner needs to have air circulating around it for it to work well. All you have to do is take a little walk around your house from time to time and collect any leaves, limbs, and garbage that have blown up against it.
Invest in Regular HVAC Maintenance
If you are serious about wanting to avoid air conditioning repair problems, you should schedule your air conditioner inspection every spring. Your air conditioning repair tech will check out your air conditioning unit for any issues and give it a tune-up to keep it in good shape.
When you invest in annual inspection and maintenance for your air conditioner, you are helping extend its life expectancy. With help from your air conditioning repair company, you can keep your Fort Worth, TX air conditioner working better for a long time to come.
Contact us today at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth to find out more about our full line of air conditioning repair services for Fort Worth, TX and the surrounding area.