When To Call An AC Repair Company Due To AC Noises | Fort Worth, TX
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Air conditioners are an awesome modern convenience that residents of Fort Worth, TX simply cannot live without. Air conditioners are great to have when they work properly that is. When your AC unit fails it is time to make that call to your local AC repair company. Yet when do you know when you actually need an AC repair professional? Your air conditioner it turns out will often give you clues as to when it needs servicing. Some of these clues might be more dire than others, it is all about learning how to read the clues that your AC unit is giving you. Do you know what your AC unit is trying to tell you? Can you tell the signs of a failing AC unit? When is it actually time to call your local AC repair professionals?
Your AC unit will often make noises that you have never heard before. Your AC unit will always make some noise, especially the outdoor portion of your air conditioner. Yet you should only hear a slight clicking noise inside when it cycles on and off, and the gentle sound of blowing cool air cooling down your home on those hot summer days that Fort Worth, TX is known for. When the heat starts to pick up you do not want to face an AC breakdown or a failing unit. There is nothing worse than reaching for the AC thermostat and finding that your unit is no longer pumping out fresh cool air. Your AC unit typically, though not always will give you warning signs via sounds it makes. Learning what these sounds mean can indicate to you when it is time to call your local AC repair company.
Noisy air conditioners are one of the top complaints we see at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth. It is one of the top reasons customers call an AC repair company for. Yet how can you determine what the sound means and how do you deal with the specific sound you are hearing? You never want to ignore strange new mysterious noises coming from your air conditioner. Let us discuss the top noises our customers have dealt with over the years and what these noises could mean. Here are the most common troublesome noises people have called on an AC repair professional to address.
Banging
This is one noise you should never hear from your AC unit. This usually indicates that there is either a part that is broken or is loose inside of your unit. Oftentimes this may be a piston pin or the connecting rod. Occasionally this sound signifies that there is something wrong with the unit’s crankshaft. Rarely this sound could indicate the need to replace your compressor. If you hear a banging noise coming from your AC unit it is time to call in a professional AC repair company.
Clanking
This is most often the sign that a part is loose. Sometimes one or more parts of your AC unit may simply be out of balance. If the compressor has become loose you could hear this sound. Another cause of this sound is when either the indoor blower or outdoor fan becomes out of balance. When the blower or fan is out of balance it can hit other parts of the system resulting in a clanking sound. While this might not seem serious to some readers it is a problem that you will need to be addressed with an AC repair company.
Clicking
This is one sound you do not want to hear constantly. Your unit may make a clicking sound when it cycles on or off, which is normal but continual clicking is often a sign of an electrical defect. It could also be the sign of a failing thermostat, however. Your AC unit is loaded with electrical parts and components so this is one issue you do not want to ignore. It could be a fire hazard that could put you and your family at risk. If you hear a clicking noise way too often it is time to call an AC repair company.
Buzzing
Besides being an annoying sound for your AC unit to make, it is also a complicated issue. This is because there are many possible causes of a buzzing sound from your AC unit so it is too difficult to pinpoint exactly what the issue may be by sound alone. Possible causes of a buzzing sound include debris in your unit or a failing fan motor. You could be dealing with something as simple as a condenser coil that needs to be cleaned. We should point out that condenser coils tend to be cleaned by your AC technician during a tune-up, we will discuss tune-ups shortly. Yet another possible cause of a buzzing noise could be that the copper lines in your system are rubbing against another part of the unit. Your air filter could be to blame, simply needing a change, which is also a service provided during an AC tune-up. One reason to worry about buzzing sounds is it could signal that you are dealing with a refrigerant leak, which can cause your unit to freeze up. If you hear an annoying buzzing sound it is time to call your local AC repair company.
Squealing
If you hear this sound it is most often an issue with either your blower or your fan. These two parts tend to squeal as they are failing. Your AC unit may still be running but when you hear this sound it is only a matter of time before the equipment dies. Once in a while, the squealing sound can be due to the blower wheel starting to fail. Some air conditioners will make this noise upon start-up, which is normal for some models, but not all models. You can quickly discover if the squealing noise is a normal part of your unit starting or if it is signaling an issue requiring a local AC repair company.
Humming
While this sound does not usually mean something dire is wrong with your unit, it does signify that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. Oftentimes this can signify loose parts such as your refrigerant piping. If you let this issue go it could result in costly AC repairs down the line so it is best to just make the call to your AC repair company. On rare occasions, this sound can be a warning sign of serious electrical issues such as your compressor not starting or a problem with your unit’s motor. Loose wiring has also been a culprit for making this noise.
Screaming
This is one dire sound for your AC unit to make. If you happen to hear this sound your first course of action would be to immediately shut down the air conditioner and do not use it again until you call an AC repair company for immediate repairs. Most often this sound is a refrigerant leak which is not only damaging to your AC unit but also puts you and your family in harm’s way. In some cases, however, screaming sounds from the AC unit could signify that there is too high a pressure in your compressor. If the pressure gets too high in your compressor this is dangerous as the unit could explode. This is one issue you always want to call in the pros from an AC repair company to address.
Whirring
Much like the buzzing sound we discussed earlier this sound can have a variety of different causes. You could be dealing with multiple mechanical issues. Oftentimes this sound is due to a faulty indoor blower. You could also be dealing with an issue with the outdoor unit. Sometimes it is as simple as a piece of debris stuck in the fan causing the whirring noise. Either way, if you hear this sound you should call the AC repair company.
Benefits of an AC Tune-up To Avoid Strange AC Sounds
We should also point out the benefits of having an AC tune-up performed every year. Most of the problems and strange sounds we will be discussing in this article can be detected early with an AC tune-up. Even better, upwards of 90 percent of these problems can be detected before the air conditioner even starts to make any strange noises. Much like your car your air conditioner also needs yearly maintenance to avoid costly repairs from your local AC repair company. Many problems can be discovered and corrected early when you opt-in for yearly AC tune-ups. One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth, TX can perform your yearly AC tune-up and help you to avoid costly repairs.
When is the best time to have an AC tune-up? In Fort Worth, TX just about every AC repair company is extremely busy in the summer months dealing with broken and failing AC units. You do not want to be without an AC unit during the brutal summers that often occur. So when is a good time to call an AC repair company for a tune-up? The simple answer is in the spring, well before you need your AC unit at peak performance. In the springtime, there is less need for AC service calls so you have a better chance at securing an early appointment at a time that is most convenient to you. If you wait until the summertime when your AC unit is already being heavily relied upon you could suffer an AC breakdown that could have been prevented had you called your AC repair company for a simple tune-up in the springtime.
You might be asking yourself what the benefits are of having an AC tune-up besides catching problems that might make your unit produce strange noises in your home. One benefit is increased energy efficiency. Tune-ups help your AC unit use less energy to cool your home which in turn reduces your power bill. It also helps reduce wear and tear on your system when your unit runs more efficiently. You will likely notice your energy bills dropping after a tune-up. When your unit does not need to work as hard to cool your home energy savings result. An air conditioner that is given a yearly tune-up is less likely to break down or make strange noises. Your HVAC technician will inspect the entire system from top to bottom, including all of the moving parts of your system to look for potential issues and problems. When these issues are addressed early it reduces the chance that you will need to call the AC repair company for a costly repair or a total AC breakdown during Fort Worth, TX hot summer days when your unit is already taxed cooling your home. Your AC technician will also ensure that you are not having spots in your house that are too hot or too cool, helping to ensure that your home is evenly cooled. When your home is evenly cooled it means cooler temperatures inside the house.
Another factor to consider when deciding on having an AC tune-up is the lifespan of your air conditioner. AC units were designed to last 10 to 15 years. AC units will only last the maximum of their life span which is 15 years if they are properly maintained. If you fail to do AC tune-ups every spring you should only expect 10 years out of your system, maybe less. Failure to perform yearly AC tune-ups will also mean more calls to your local AC repair company, but keep in mind that just about every AC repair company in Fort Worth, TX will be extremely busy during the summer months. If you suffer an AC breakdown during the summer you could be waiting days in the stifling heat for an AC repair company to come and make repairs to your aging system.
If you happen to hear any of the troublesome sounds we discussed today you should reach out to One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth. Our highly skilled and trained technicians will address the cause of the noise. If you have not yet had a tune-up for your AC unit there is no time like the present to call and book an appointment. The experts at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth will get your unit in tip-top shape in no time at all!