Imagine this scene play out: You’re sitting inside your home on a hot summer day, but you’re not worried about the temperature outside, because you have a powerful and efficient air conditioner inside. Until suddenly, it stops working!
So first, you check your thermostat. You note that the settings are correct and it’s displaying as it should. Okay, so next you check the electrical panel—did the HVAC circuit breaker trip? Nope, it’s fine. Well great, what’s going on?
Now’s when you call for emergency repairs—but it’s a hot day and everyone’s air conditioner is breaking down, so you’re going to have to wait…
This doesn’t have to be your reality! Keep reading…
Preventing Air Conditioner Breakdown
You can prevent the above scenario from happening. The best way to do this is to make sure you stay on top of your annual AC maintenance appointments. Maintenance allows our technicians to comprehensively inspect, clean, and adjust components that need it.
It’s during this time that if we spot any small repair needs, we’ll alert you to them so you can get them on your schedule right away, instead of waiting for them to snowball into a bigger repair emergency.
The second best way to prevent huge AC repair needs is to know the signs that your air conditioner is struggling, even if you’re in between maintenance appointments. Read on to learn what these signs are!
Reduced Airflow
Have you noticed that the air coming out of your AC vents isn’t as powerful as it used to be? This reduced airflow can be caused by a couple of potential things.
First things first: check your air filter. The air filter that comes standard with your HVAC systems is in place to protect those systems from dust, dirt, and other debris that can get inside and damage the components. When it gets too clogged up, it reduces airflow coming into the system, and therefore coming out, as well.
Alternatively, airflow problems can be from damaged ductwork. You could lose as much as 30% of your conditioned air through ductwork breaches, so if you suspect this is the case, you should call our pros right away.
Low Cooling Power
Perhaps the air coming through your vents is powerful enough, but it’s not cool enough? This might be the sign of a refrigerant leak.
Refrigerant is the substance that makes the cooling process possible. When the warm air from your home gets drawn into your air conditioner, it goes through a process with the refrigerant, allowing chilled air to be returned back into your home.
When you have a leak though, your system doesn’t have enough refrigerant to do its job.
You can possibly tell if you have a refrigerant leak by listening for a hissing or bubbling sound, too.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling describes the process where an air conditioner turns on and off rapidly, never completing a full cooling cycle. This is both the symptom of an existing problem, and the cause of further problems.
If you find your air conditioner doing this, the time to call us is now.
Comfort’s just a call away! Contact Parker Services Inc for reliable AC repair in Tallahassee, FL.