The Most Common Problems With Air Conditioners

Posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

I take air conditioners for granted. On 100 degree days, I don’t understand how our ancestors got by day-to-day without A/C. During a blackout or when the A/C breaks down, anything that related to frozen goods or water goes from luxury to necessity. Fortunately, there are some A/C problems that are preventable. With the right steps, you can avoid many of the common causes of breakdown.

Improper Operation

Most often, people do not control their A/C the way they should. People leave doors and windows open which overburdens your unit. You should even make sure you close your doors inside of the house in order to isolate the area that needs to be cooled. Then when you are going to leave the house and it will be unoccupied for more than an hour, turn the A/C off. On hot days, these are especially true since it can breakdown your air compressors. If a central air conditioner’s compressor stops on a hot day, the high-pressure limit switch may have tripped; reset it by pushing the button, located in the compressor’s access panel.

Refrigerant Leaks

If your air conditioner seems to be working fine, but the air isn’t that cold and seems to become warmer over time, than you have a leak. Simply adding refrigerant does not solve the problems of a leak. A trained technician is required to fix leaks, test the repair, and re-charge the system with the right amount of refrigerant. For an added boost of efficiency, you can also ask your HVAC contractor about IceCOLD.

Inadequate Maintenance

Air filters and air conditioning coils become dirty with use. The buildup of dust and dirt decreases the efficiency of your air conditioner. Since you still want to be comfortable, the air conditioning has to work much harder to get keep your house cool. Swapping out an air filter and hosing down the air compressor coils are simple tasks that will keep your air conditioning running like new much longer than if you neglected it.

It does not take an HVAC contractor to solve all of your problems. Two out of the three most common problems air conditioning units have can be solved by you. You can save yourself time, money, and sleep by watching how you use and maintain your air conditioning.

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