Working hard at the office has us in no mood to arrive home, push the button, and not have cool air come in response. In the middle of a sweltering summer, a hot home stresses all the inhabitants. It puts our pets in peril as well as our free time. So what causes the air conditioner to not perform when called upon? We will go over some of the common causes for this and the one action that the prudent property should take in almost every case.
Freeway of Refrigerant
Refrigerant is the liquid medium that transfers heat. It is pumped between the piping from the AC to a source outside where the warmth can radiate out into the atmosphere. With all of the travel and pressure, the integrity of the closed system is often breached. Cracks develop and the fluid leaks out. Eventually, a shortage comes into play in which the cooling process takes much longer. The naked eye of the amateur can suspect this is the case but does not have to tools to ferret out its exact location.
Moving Parts
Movement is often the source of a breakdown. Vibration, lack of lubrication, and just a general breakdown of the parts in the air handler could cause an inadequate supply of air to the unit. Malfunctions of this nature can include parts burning out, short circuits developing, or even the bearings wearing out. Louder than normal or erratic noise are a sure fire signals of impending doom. Pick up the phone and make an appointment for a professional to come out to inspect the air conditioner right away.
Path of Least Resistance
Forces of nature are akin to people as both tend to take the path of least resistance in their activities. Air conditioning units rely on a unimpeded flow of air to work at its peak efficiency. Both with the incoming as well as the outgoing cool air that makes our homes so much more pleasant. A common cause of choking the air supply is debris surrounding the unit.
This is often happens with the large units on the cement slab right outside of the house. Leaves, broken twigs, and trash blow in from rough weather or from grounds maintenance. Less air means the unit has to work more to suck harder to get the accustomed flow through the blockage. Even when the air leaves the unit, it can get lost in the duct work of our home.
Joints slip and cracks are created where the cool air leaks out in the basement or other non intended destinations. The trained eye of the HVAC professional can ferret these issues out right away.
Finally, some of the issues are counter intuitive. One would think that ice on the coils would signal that the system is working. This is when your air conditioning unit is on its last legs. Complications involving two issues at the same time have the novice cashing their tail in a loop. Where one saves time and keeps the budget in its restraints is by calling the professionals right now. Their experience allows you to head off problems before they proliferate. This approach spends pennies, saves dollars, and keeps you in cool air all summer long.
Charlie Teschner started MESA Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling in 1982. Charlie has a journeyman and master plumber’s license. He was raised with a strong work ethic and he now applies those values to tasks such as Longmont, CO heating repair.