When Do You Need An Emergency Heating And AC Repair Service? | Fort Worth, TX
If you are a homeowner in Fort Worth, TX, every little blip in your AC or furnace probably feels like an emergency, but not every issue requires an immediate call to an emergency heating and AC repair service. That said, there are some times when the only person that can help is an HVAC technician, which is why you need to make sure that you have a good company on-call to help you. You also need to have a more balanced view of what actually constitutes an emergency so that you don’t waste your money and time calling an emergency heating and AC repair service for something that could have waited until the morning.
In the following, we will take a look at some of the instances that require an emergency heating and AC repair service. We will also discuss a few guidelines for determining whether or not something is actually an emergency. While we can give out some examples, there is no way to list every single thing that could happen to every single homeowner in Fort Worth, TX. The truth is that every home HVAC use is different, and every system is different, so there are always unique circumstances that can arise.
In general, we like to tell our clients that they need to trust their guts when it comes to calling an emergency heating and AC repair service. If you feel compelled to call, then you should probably trust that gut instinct. We have never had a client regret calling us for help, but we do frequently hear that clients wish they had called an emergency heating and AC repair service to come out to their home quicker because maybe they could have prevented further damage.
With that in mind, if you don’t see your problem on the list but still think that the situation with your HVAC system is urgent, it is probably best to make the call. At the very least, you might find that talking to a professional can reassure you to wait until the morning. Any reputable emergency heating and AC repair service shouldn’t mind listening to the problem to help you judge if you need them right this moment or not. Most of the time, the emergency service will err on the side of caution, so if they share your worry, they will come out.
What Constitutes an Emergency?
There are six categories of HVAC repair that factor into whether or not you need an emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX. They include fire risk, electrocution risk, gas risk, mold risk, heat/cold risk, and damage risk. Let’s take a minute to look closely at each category to understand better when you may or may not need emergency heating and AC repair service. Along the way, we will mention a few examples of emergencies.
If your situation matches any of the examples, it is extremely important that you call an emergency heating and AC repair service to get help. Once again, remember that this is just a blog; it can’t possibly cover every situation that indicates an emergency. It is meant to offer advice but not to serve as a replacement for the advice of an HVAC technician that knows your home. When in doubt, always seek out help from a trained HVAC technician who can actually take a closer look at your problem and diagnose what might be going on.
Fire Risk
The first reason something requires emergency heating and AC repair service is that it is a fire risk. While most people don’t think about their furnace or AC as a fire risk, if something is malfunctioning, it actually can be. A quick look at any indoor or outdoor unit will reveal a lot of electrical wiring, and given the intricacy of the HVAC system, it doesn’t take too much for something to go wrong. The risk is even higher if your HVAC system was not properly installed or if you have attempted to do your own repairs recently.
While this alone does not mean that you need an emergency heating and AC repair service, there are signs that something might be wrong and there is a fire risk. For instance, if you notice sparks near your indoor or outdoor unit, you should turn them off immediately and call an emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX. Sparks are always a sign of trouble and should never be ignored.
Another issue that might indicate an electrical problem is the odor of electrical burning from your air vents. When the smell is wafting out of a vent, it can indicate that something is wrong with your AC system or that something is going on inside your vents. Either way, it is not a smell that you want to detect anywhere in your home. Therefore, if you notice it, you need to turn off your system and get help from a qualified emergency heating and AC repair service.
Finally, another large fire risk could be present if you notice that your AC or furnace is causing the circuit to break. Ideally, your HVAC system should be on an independent circuit, which means if the circuit trips, the HVAC system is drawing too much energy at once. However, there are homes where it shares a circuit with other devices that also could have released a charge. In any case, tripping the circuit one time alone is not a cause for concern, but if your HVAC system starts tripping the circuit regularly, then it is time to have a professional take a closer look at the situation.
At this point, something is wrong with your HVAC system’s wiring, or the actual HVAC system is overloading the circuit. Both are potentially bad situations that need to be investigated before someone gets hurt. In most cases, the emergency heating and AC repair service will tell you to turn off your HVAC system until they can get there to prevent any potential problems. Make sure you follow whatever advice you are given to minimize the risks to your home and your family.
Electrocution Risk
A lot of the above-mentioned fire risks can also be electrocution risks. In particular, sparks from your tripped circuits’ thermostat indicate that power is not flowing evenly through your HVAC system. Therefore, it is wise to act quickly to minimize the risk to your health. As with anything that can be a potential electrocution risk, you need to keep your system off until you can get help. While this sometimes might mean that you are not as comfortable in your home as you should be, it is always the safest way to approach a high-risk problem, and the emergency heating and AC repair service should be able to come out quickly, so it shouldn’t be too long.
Gas Risk
Another potential alert that you may have an emergency situation on is the scent of natural gas through your air vents. As a general disclaimer, there is never a good place to smell natural gas in your home, so if you smell it, you should immediately evacuate your home, but there are a few places you might smell it that indicate your HVAC system may be involved.
Natural gas is scented to smell like sulfur or rotten eggs so that it is identifiable. It is actually naturally odorless, so this is a safety addition to help protect you. If you smell natural gas coming out of your air vents or you notice the scent near your HVAC unit in the basement, this is an alarming situation that needs to be addressed quickly. If you notice the odor, you should turn off the emergency gas shut-off valve if you know where it is in your home.
If you do not know where the emergency shut-off valve is, then exit your home and call an emergency heating and AC repair service in Fort Worth, TX, to assist you from a neighbor’s home. The important thing to do is ensure you are safe before making the phone call. If you realize while you are reading this that you don’t know where the shut-off valve is located, now is a great time to find out so that you are prepared in the event of any gas-related emergency.
Mold Risk
Another situation that requires instant attention is the detection of mold or mildew in your home that might be related to your HVAC system. There are several ways in which this can happen. The first, which is more common than you probably think, occurs if you notice that there is a musty or moldy smell coming out of your air vents. This odd smell actually indicates that mold or mildew is probably growing inside of your air ducts. This is a situation that you need to pay attention to because mold can be very bad for your health.
It also will continue to grow and get worse until you take proactive action and have the mold removed by an emergency heating and AC repair service. The problem with mold is that if it is in your air ducts, then the sports are being kicked out into your air every time the furnace or AC runs. The end result is that you will be breathing mold in your home, which is not a situation you want to find yourself in.
Mold can get trapped in your air ducts in two different ways. First of all, you can accidentally spill something down a floor vent. Most people don’t realize it only takes a few drops of water for mold to start to form. The other way is if your AC is not working properly and is not properly removing humidity from the air. Air that is heavy with humidity will prompt moisture, which can lead to mold. Both situations are not good and need to be addressed urgently to put an end to them before your health suffers.
Heat/Cold Risk
The fourth reason why you need an emergency heating and AC repair service is that you are worried about the risk of staying in your home without your HVAC system on. In Fort Worth, TX, temperatures usually do not drop low enough that you need to worry about not having a furnace. However, in the summertime, things can get dangerous quickly if your AC turns off during the middle of the hot summer. It is even more dangerous if you have small children or elderly adults in your home. In this case, the option to live for a few days is impossible.
If your AC goes down in the middle of the summer, then it is an emergency for every single person in your home because temperatures can get dangerous in a closed home very quickly. Therefore, if you are worried about the health of your family as a result of an HVAC system that is not working, you need to call an emergency heating and AC repair service that can make your home safe to live in again.
Damage Risk
Finally, the last reason to call an HVAC company right away is if you suspect that a part needs to be repaired or a component is broken. The problem with waiting to call for help if your system has a broken part but is still running is that one broken component will lead to more broken components. When one part goes down, the rest have to work harder, which results in more wear and tear. You can prevent damage by talking to an emergency heating and AC repair right away.
If you are in need of emergency heating and AC repair in Fort Worth, TX, contact One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth today so we can get a technician out to your home.