Summer is upon us and you know the heat will be along for the ride. Unfortunately, most of us don’t think about our air conditioning equipment until we need it. To make sure your air conditioning is ready to go when you need it, learn about these common causes of problems and the easy steps you can take to prevent them.
Most common air conditioner problems:
- Frozen evaporator coils. Your system’s evaporator coil is filled with refrigerant, allowing it to absorb the heat from the air like a sponge. In order for the coils to operate correctly they actually need to have warm air circulating around them. When a problem occurs with the airflow, the evaporator coil gets too cold and a layer of ice can build up on the outside. When that happens, warm air or no air at all will be emitted from your air conditioning supply registers.
- Dirty condenser coils. The condenser coils are part of the outdoor unit and expel the heat removed from the air inside to outside the building. When the coils get covered with dirt, leaves or other debris the unit is forced to work much harder than normal to do its job. A common source of blockage in western Wisconsin is the floating seeds from the Cottonwood tree. If enough of these adhere to the coils they can form a blanket that blocks the air flow. This results in increased wear on parts and can even cause system failure.
- Low refrigerant. The refrigerant is what the system used to remove the heat and humidity from the air in your building. If leaks form in the refrigerant lines it can result in the system not having enough refrigerant to remove enough or any heat from the environment. Once a leak occurs a qualified HVAC repair technician must find and repair the leaks as well as refill the system with refrigerant.
- Thermostat issues. Thermostats give instructions to your systems. Older dial-type thermostats can easily be calibrated incorrectly which means that it cannot instruct you’re A/C correctly. Recalibrating or replacing the stat with new programmable digital model can ensure you have the proper control.
- Clogged drains. All the moisture your system removes from the air is designed to be removed through a drain line. Problem is, those lines or the drain pan itself can become clogged. This can result in water leaks, damage to the system or even mold issues.
The good news is that many of these common problems can be less likely to occur when the air conditioning system is properly maintained. Preventative maintenance will ensure your system is cleaned and running efficiently which can extend the life of the equipment and also spot trouble before they result in larger, more expensive problems. Planning a preventative maintenance agreement with a qualified HVAC contractor will make sure that your system is providing the temperature control you need, when you want it. Often times, contractors like Bartingale Mechanical will offer preferred rates to customers that enter an agreement in order to save even more money.