What HVAC Issues Require Emergency Heating And AC Service? | North Richland Hills, TX
The HVAC system in your North Richland Hills, TX home is one of the most essential systems in your home because it keeps your home comfortable most of the year. The average temperature is between 92 and 96 degrees during the summer, and your air conditioner keeps your house cool and comfortable. The average fall temperature ranges from 78 to 88 degrees, and many homeowners continue using their air conditioners until winter. Winter days are relatively mild, with temperatures ranging from 57 to 61 degrees, and the nighttime temperature often drops to 36 to 40 degrees, and you rely on your heating system to keep your home warm and toasty.
Because you rely on your HVAC system most of the year, the last thing you want is for the system to develop problems.
Although certain HVAC problems can wait until you can get an appointment with an HVAC tech, some issues are more serious and require a call to an emergency heating and AC service.
If your HVAC system experiences any of the following issues, it’s best to schedule an appointment immediately.
#1 Your Furnace Is Producing Cold Air
When the temperature drops, it’s time to turn on the heat. When you turn on the heat, you should feel a powerful rush of warm air coming from the vents in your home, and if the air is cool, you may need to call an emergency heating and AC service.
Before making the call, you should check a few things. The last thing you want is to pay for an unnecessary service call when you could have fixed the problem yourself.
First, check the air filter. HVAC techs recommend changing the filter every three months during the winter. If the air filter is clogged with soot, dirt, and grime, the air won’t move through the furnace, resulting in long heating cycles and overheating, and changing the air filter should solve the problem.
Next, check the thermostat setting. Incorrect settings are one of the most common causes of this problem. First, make sure the thermostat is set to the cooling mode, and the fan is set to “auto.” If the fan is on, it will keep running between heating cycles, and you will feel warm air coming from the vents. Finally, the thermostat setting has to be higher than the temperature in the home for the system to produce warm air.
If everything checks out on your end, it’s time to call an emergency heating and AC service. A few issues can prevent the unit from producing warm air, and you will need an HVAC tech to find the cause.
- The pilot light is out: If you have an older furnace, it has a pilot light that needs to stay lit. The pilot light ignites the burners allowing the furnace to produce heat. The unit cannot produce warm air if the pilot light isn’t lit. When the pilot is lit, the flame should be blue. If the pilot flame is orange or yellow, you should immediately call an emergency heating and AC service. These colors indicate carbon monoxide, which is an odorless, invisible, deadly gas. If the pilot light is out or discolored, you should call an emergency heating and AC service now.
- The flame detector is dirty: A newer furnace will have a flame detector instead of a pilot light designed to ensure the heating cycles are completed successfully.
If the flame detector is covered in dirt and grime, the furnace will lose heat and will start producing cool air.
An emergency heating and AC service can send a tech to your home to inspect the flame detector and clean the component. The tech will also sanitize the part to prevent the problem from occurring again. - Clogged condensate lines: Newer, top-of-the-line furnaces have condensate drain lines that help remove moisture. If the line is blocked, it will deactivate the burners, and the unit will produce cold air.
An emergency heating and AC repair company can send a tech to remove the clog, allowing the unit to produce warm air. - Damaged air ducts: The air ducts are hidden behind the walls, above the ceiling, or underneath the floor, so you won’t know if they are damaged. If the air ducts are cracked or the seal fails, the cold air outside will leak into the air ducts, and you’ll feel cold air coming from the vents.
An emergency heating and AC service will send a tech to inspect the ducts for damage and make the necessary repair.
A lack of heat is an emergency because your home can get dangerously cold when the temperature drops below freezing. An emergency heating and AC service will get a tech to your home as quickly as possible to resolve the problem.
#2 Your Air Conditioner Is Producing Warm Air
When it’s 90+ degrees outside, many North Richland Hills, TX homeowners spend more time inside to escape the heat. If your air conditioner is producing warm air, you won’t have an escape, and your home can get dangerously hot, leading to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Before calling an emergency heating and AC service, make sure the air filter is clean. HVAC experts recommend changing the filter every 90 days. If you have pets or a family member has allergies or a chronic lung or respiratory condition, the filter should be changed every 45 days. If the filter is clogged and dirty, the air won’t move through the unit, causing it to overheat and shut down, and you will feel warm air from the vents.
Next, check the thermostat setting. As mentioned above, the fan needs to be set to “auto” rather than “on.” Next, make sure the thermostat is set to the cooling mode, and it’s warmer in the house than the setting on the thermostat.
If everything checks out on your end, it’s time to call an emergency heating and AC service. Warm air coming from the vents is considered an emergency because when it’s 90 degrees outside, the temperature in your North Richland Hills, TX home can reach 109 degrees and up to 124 after 30 minutes without AC on a hot day. Temperatures this high can put your family’s health at risk; therefore, it’s best to call an HVAC expert immediately.
A few issues can prevent the unit from producing cold air, and you will need a trained professional to determine the cause and solve the problem.
- Refrigerant leaks: Your air conditioner relies on refrigerant to produce cold air. If there is a refrigerant leak, there won’t be enough refrigerant to keep the unit running. Refrigerant leaks are due to formic acid and formaldehyde corrosion that can create small holes in the metal, causing the refrigerant to leak, and requires a call to an emergency heating and AC service.
If the air conditioner in your North Richland Hills, TX home was installed after 2010, an emergency heating and AC service will send a tech to your home to fix the leak and refill the unit. However, if your air conditioner was installed before 2010 and there’s a refrigerant leak, you will need to replace the air conditioner. Older units use R-22 refrigerant, which the EPA determined is highly toxic and depleting the ozone layer in 2010, and production slowed down. On January 1, 2020, the U.S. government banned the production of R-22; therefore, the HVAC tech can fix the leak, but they won’t have the refrigerant to refill the system, and you will need to replace the unit. - Frozen evaporator coils: The evaporator coils play an essential part in keeping your home cool, and they extract the warm air from your home to begin the cooling process. If the coils are frozen, they can’t start the cooling process, and you will feel warm air coming from the vents. A few issues can cause the coils to freeze, including:
- Dirty coils
- Lack of airflow
- Dirty air filter
- Refrigerant issues
- You run the AC when it’s too cold outside.
- An emergency heating and AC service can send a tech to your home to thaw the coils and figure out why they froze in the first place. This will allow them to fix the problem so they don’t freeze again.
- The compressor has no power: The indoor unit and the outdoor compressor work together to produce cold air. If the compressor isn’t working or has no power, the unit won’t produce cold air.
An emergency heating and AC service will send an HVAC tech to inspect the compressor to find the problem so it can be resolved.
Trying to live in your North Richland Hills, TX home without air conditioning can put your family’s health at risk; therefore, if the unit isn’t producing cold air, it’s best to call an emergency heating and AC repair company as soon as possible.
#3 Strange Odors When the HVAC System Runs
The heating and cooling system in your North Richland Hills, TX home should produce odorless treated air. When you turn on your heater or air conditioner for the first time of the season, it isn’t uncommon to smell the dust burning off the unit, and the smell should dissipate within a few minutes.
If you smell anything other than dust when the unit runs, you should call an emergency heating and AC repair company. The causes of these foul smells could put your home and family at significant risk; therefore, you don’t want to wait to call a professional.
- Burning: A burning smell when the heat or AC run indicates an electrical problem, which is very serious. Electrical issues can spark an electrical fire that can quickly destroy your home. It’s best to turn the heater or AC off immediately and call an emergency heating and AC service. An HVAC tech can inspect the heater or air conditioner’s electrical system and wiring to solve the problem so you can start using the heater or air conditioner again.
- Mold: In many cases, a moldy smell indicates mold in the air ducts, which is very dangerous. The air ducts deliver the cold air from the unit to the vents throughout your North Richland Hills, TX home. The air ducts are dark, and when your home is humid, moisture can accumulate in the ducts, creating the perfect breeding ground for mold.
When the heat or air conditioner runs, mold spores will circulate in the air, which is very dangerous. According to the CDC, mold exposure can cause several health issues, including:- Allergy symptoms
- Respiratory issues
- Eye irritation
- Chronic headaches
- Skin rashes
- Weakened immune system
- If a family member has a chronic lung or respiratory problem, mold exposure is even more dangerous because it can worsen their symptoms and condition.
An emergency heating and AC service can inspect the ducts for mold, and if they find any, it can be eliminated with an antimicrobial fogger. The fogger will also prevent future mold growth. If the air ducts are clear, there could be mold in the air conditioner, often due to neglecting routine maintenance. Mold in the unit can be more challenging to eradicate, and if the tech cannot remove every trace of mold, you will need to replace the unit. - Rotten eggs: A rotten egg smell when the furnace runs is a very dangerous problem. As soon as you detect the smell, turn off the furnace, get everyone out of the house and call 911. The rotten egg smell indicates a gas leak that can result in an explosion, and the fire department will need to cut the gas service to your home and open the windows to air it out. When the fire department deems your home safe to enter, call an emergency heating and AC service. You can’t turn the heat back on until the leak is repaired by an HVAC professional; therefore, it’s essential to make the call immediately.
Call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth Today
If you have an HVAC issue that can’t wait and need to call an emergency heating and AC service, call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth. We are a full-service HVAC company serving customers in the area since 1988.
Our HVAC techs have undergone thousands of hours of professional training and have the knowledge, experience, and skill to handle equipment installation, replacement, maintenance, and repair. In addition, our techs passed drug tests and background checks and registered with the state of Texas before they were hired.
We understand some problems can’t wait until we have an available appointment, so we provide emergency heating and AC service.
To schedule an appointment for emergency heating and AC service or any other HVAC service, give us a call today.