Signs Of Problems In Your Air Conditioning System
As a homeowner with a central air conditioning system, it's important to know when your air conditioner is telling you that it needs repair. With warmer weather rapidly approaching, many homeowners are turning on their air conditioning systems and missing some of the signs that should alert them to the need for an HVAC repair technician. Here's a look at a couple of things that you should be attentive to.
How Does The Air Feel?
When you turn your air conditioner on for the first time this season, take some time to assess how the air feels when it blows through the vents. Are you feeling genuinely cold air? If the air feels only mildly cool or, worse, warm, that is a key indication that your air conditioning system needs attention.
Many times, this is a direct result of a refrigerant leak that has rendered your air conditioner unable to actually cool the air. Your HVAC repair technician can inspect the unit, locate the source of the leak, and repair it. Once the leak has been repaired, your technician will recharge the refrigerant to restore your air conditioner's operation.
How Does The Air Conditioner Sound?
As your air conditioner first starts up, take some time to listen to it. You should hear it run, but the sound should be consistent. If you're hearing any kind of squeal, clunk, or grinding sound from your air conditioner, those noises are problematic. Sounds like that are signs that your air conditioning system needs repair.
In most situations, those types of sounds are the result of problems with the blower motor or a similar component. When a bearing is failing or another mechanical part isn't working as it should, it can produce these types of noises. You'll want to have an HVAC repair technician examine the unit right away. Turn the air conditioner off until you can have it inspected to avoid the potential risk of serious damage.
What Can You See Around The Air Conditioning Unit?
Before you start your air conditioner for the season, and periodically throughout the warm weather season, you should look around your air conditioning condenser. Check the pad underneath the unit for any signs of leaking. If there's any standing water, pooling, or other indications that the unit is leaking, you'll want to have it inspected by a repair technician.
Your air conditioner should only be draining small amounts of water from the humidity extracted from the air. Anything more than that is an indication that the system is malfunctioning. Reach out to your repair technician right away.
