It always happens on the hottest day of the summer. In the midst of the sweltering heat, your air conditioner goes out, blowing hot air instead of cold. What is more frustrating is that hundreds of other air conditioners have also gone out in your city on the same day, causing a backup of service calls to every HVAC repair company in the area. The majority of air conditioner breakdowns fall under only a few categories of repairs, many that can easily be avoided through preventative maintenance.
Common Air Conditioner Problems
There are only a few things that will cause your air conditioner to stop working. Some are easily fixed, while others require a professional technician to repair or replace. Some of the most common issues include:
- Refrigerant. If your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, it’s leaking or was not fully charged when it was installed, it will malfunction. Adding refrigerant without evaluating the cause of the loss is not the solution, however. It needs to be inspected for leaks and charged to the correct manufacturer specifications.
- Sensor. An air conditioner which is running constantly or erratically may have a broken or misplaced sensor. Most units have a thermostat sensor which measures the temperature of the air before it enters the unit. If this gets moved or stops working properly, the unit will not cool correctly.
- Electrical failure. Both the electrical controls and fan can wear out over time, especially when the unit turns on and off frequently. This is common in homes where the unit is too large for the space it is cooling.
The best way to avoid any of these problems is to have preventative HVAC maintenance performed by an HVAC professional before the summer heat hits. They can inspect the unit, replace filters and repair any problems ahead of time, so you can enjoy your cool home all summer.
Posted on behalf of James Smith, ClimateSmith LLC
