No one wants to find out their air conditioner isn’t working on a 90 degree hot and humid day. While many of us may still have our heat on, summer is coming and it’s better to know whether or not your AC is going to work the ways it’s supposed to when it’s needed. But before you fire it up, take a look at the Lifeline Plumbing list below to see if your AC has one of the “fix me” warning signs. If so, Lifeline Plumbing can help you to enjoy consistent and effective air conditioning in Elgin by helping to maintain your AC unit.
It’s Noisy
Over the last decade, great strides have been made to lower the noise level on air conditioners. As such, a well-functioning outdoor AC unit should have a basic hum sound to it and nothing else. If you start to hear excessive noise, including banging, clanking, hissing, or anything else that seems out of the ordinary, shut the unit down and call your air conditioning technician immediately.
Decrease in Airflow
A decrease in airflow can be attributed to a number of things, ranging from a dirty filter to a weakened fan blower. If you are still experiencing a decrease in your air flow after changing your AC system’s filter, call a professional to resolve the problem.
Air is Blowing Warm
If the air is blowing warm, something is most likely happening with the refrigerant. There are a number of things that can compromise the proper function of the refrigerant, from a compressor issue to dirty coils. Handling of refrigerant and work on the compressor or coils should be conducted only by a trained specialist.
Too Much Cycling
Are you noticing that your system is turning on and off more than normal? Excessive cycling can indicate several things, the top two being a malfunctioning thermostat and/or that air is escaping the system via a leak or blockage. Your Lifeline Plumbing expert will be able to pinpoint the problem and stop your air conditioner from over cycling.
The AC Breaker Keeps Tripping
Is your AC system tripping its circuit breaker? A breaker that keeps turning off indicates a problem, so if your AC breaker is tripping repeatedly, do not keep switching it back to on. Breakers trip for a number of reasons, all of which need to be handled by an expert.
Icing
Ice on the unit usually indicates one of two problems: an issue with the air flow or an issue with the refrigerant. When air flow is restricted, the evaporator coil temperature drops to below freezing. The humidity in the air then collects on the coil, causing ice to build. The same happens when the refrigerant runs low.
Water Leakage
Every air conditioning system removes humidity from the air. Your unit disposes of the resulting condensation via the condensate tray. The condensate tray is a sloping tray that direct excess water to an exit pipe. If the tray or pipe becomes clogged, the tray starts to fill up with water rather than drain it. Eventually this will lead to overflowing and leaks.
Something Smells
AC systems are constantly in contact with water, as they remove humidity from a space. If this water is allowed to stagnate anywhere in the system, whether it be in the condensate tray, pipes or vents, mold and mildew can grow. If you suspect that you’ve got mold and/or mildew in your vents, pipes or ducts, call us to schedule an inspection and cleaning.
Don’t Get Left in the Heat
Checking your air conditioning system for potential problems before summer can help eliminate the irritation of having it break on a hot day.
Call a Lifeline Plumbing AC expert today and make sure your air conditioner is running as it should. Dependable air conditioning in Elgin is just a phone call away.