During the hot summer days, there isn’t a lot you can do to make yourself comfier than to strip down to shorts, crack open a cold one and turn the A/C on. Even though a cold, refreshing beverage might cool us off for a little bit, it’s clear that our best friend in those tropical moments is the air conditioning.
It’s easy to see how unpleasant and annoying it would be if your air conditioning unit would just stop working in moments when you need it the most. However, there’s nothing to worry about because we’ve got you covered. Here are some common tell-tale signs that you can pick up on and prevent any A/C mishaps from happening.
Source: Gebäudetechnik Pichler
Hot Air
Although you can use your air conditioning unit to warm yourself up, it’s not exactly pleasant to feel the warm air on your skin when you’re trying to unwind and cool down. However, if you do, the first thing you need to check is the mode the unit is working in. If it’s set to heat then you have nothing to worry about – switch the mode, lower the temp and enjoy.
On the other hand, if the device says it’s cooling, but instead of winter’s delight, you’re feeling a warm breeze – something’s off. In most cases, the problem lies in restricted airflow or some issue with the compressor. Whatever the case is, that’s not something that you can fix yourself. The best thing to do in that situation would be to dial-up a repair service and let them fix the problem for you.
Restricted Airflow
Insufficient or poor airflow is one of the most common problems A/C units face. Luckily, this problem is easy to pick up on, since you’ll notice a lack of efficiency quite quickly. More often than not, the problem lies in some kind of blockage that’s restricting the airflow. You could be dealing with a dirty, clogged filter, which is most commonly the case, but there could be some additional problems like compressor or motor faults.
Investing in an additional, energy-recovery ventilator could be a good idea if you’re struggling with this problem on the regular basis. This will boost the performance of the unit, as well as give a significant efficiency boost. In any case, if you’re dealing with airflow problems and you’re certain that dirty filter isn’t an issue – give the guy a call.
Source: midwesthvacpro.com
Frequent Cycling
As you already know, air conditioning units don’t just blast the room with cool air once you turn them on. They operate in cycles, making sure the optimal temperature is being upheld and the unit has the time to cool off etc. However, switching between cycles isn’t something that’s happening very often.
With that being said, if you notice yours’ cycling way more often than it should, it could mean there’s something wrong with it. In most cases it’s nothing serious and repairmen will deal with this issue with a quick tune-up of the unit, but it is worth noting that you should not ignore this problem because it could damage the device in the long run.
High/Low Humidity
During most of the year, but especially in the early and late summer, you can expect frequent changes in the humidity. However, according to acservicesmaui.com, those changes in humidity levels should be restricted solely to the outside. There is no reason for the indoors to be too humid or dry based on the outside weather.
Naturally, the weather conditions affect the humidity both inside and outside of our home, but a well-functioning A/C unit shouldn’t have issues controlling the humidity levels. Once again, it might just be a simple issue that’s solved with a little bit of tinkering and recalibrating the system, but you never know.
Source: geniusaircon.com
Leaking
Air conditioning units rely on cooling liquids to provide you with that nice, cool breeze on a hot summer day. However, none of those liquids should be leaking from your unit and down your walls onto the floor. Condensation happens during this process and the outside units do release excess liquid, but the indoor ones shouldn’t. If you do notice a leak, give your handyman a call and let them solve the issue. Don’t let it linger for too long, because a leak is not a ‘one-time thing’.
Bad Smell
Another quite common problem with the air conditioning units is that sometimes, the air that comes out of it can pack quite a pungent smell. It’s not uncommon for unpleasant odours to come out of A/C units – the filters get dirty, it’s just the way it is. However, sometimes an issue is not just the dirty filter. Microbial growth is quite a common problem with air conditioning units and unfortunately, regular cleaning method won’t solve this problem.
On the other hand, you could probably guess, based on the smell and the severity of it, whether it’s just a dirty filter or if there’s something else going on under the hood. Once again, don’t ignore the problem and don’t try to DIY clean the whole system. Pick up the phone and call for professional help. Once they come and assess the problem, they’ll act accordingly. Sometimes, the answer is just a thorough cleaning.
Source: Vision Air Heating & Cooling
Unusual Noises
Most of our devices and gadgets make noise. Some make more, some make less. Air conditioning units do too.
We’ve gotten used to those sounds and we can easily tell when there’s an unusual one coming out of some of it. In most cases, a thump or a crack is nothing to be worrying about – it happens. However, if the thumps, cracks, rattling, grinding or just loud, out-of-the-blue noises keep happening – that could mean something’s off.
In most cases, thumps, cracks or rattle means there’s something loose under the hood and it’s flapping all over. On the other hand, persistent grinding noises could indicate a more serious issue. If it sounds like the unit is trying too hard to just operate – it’s time to pick up the phone. Don’t ignore these sounds because in most cases, when you do, you end up with a broken A/C unit.
As you can see, there are more than half a dozen, clear-cut signs that there’s something off with your air conditioning unit. Some are more serious, some are less. However, what most of them have in common is that they’re pointing towards a problem. So, if you notice one or more of these, give your repairman a call.
