How Does Your Air Conditioning Service Diagnose The Reason Your Unit Is Overheating? | Plano, TX
An air compressor is a critical part of an air conditioner, and the unit cannot efficiently function without it. Its role is to compress the coolant, allowing the air conditioning unit to suck all the heat from your indoor space and leave it relaxed and comfortable during the hot Texas summers. A compressor is a delicate unit.
Hence, only an air conditioning service in Plano, TX, can repair or replace it whenever a problem arises. It is also an expensive part of the AC. Therefore, routine maintenance is critical to ensure that any developing issue is caught early. If it fails, you’ll have to replace it. Sometimes, it can make more economic sense to replace the air conditioner than only the compressor itself because of the cost of the part.
Hence, you must understand the signs of a possible breakdown for a prompt air conditioning service and repairs. Overheating is among the most common signs of an imminent compressor failure. The professional should identify and address it during the maintenance visit.
How Does a Compressor Overheat?
Overheating of the compressor happens in the refrigeration system within the compressor head. When they come for a tune-up, the technician will measure the temperatures of the discharge line, which is about six inches from the outlet of the compressor. It indicates the temperatures at the discharge port of the compressor. Usually, the temperatures should be about 225 degrees for the compressor to operate efficiently.
However, if the temperatures at the discharge port are over 300 degrees, the lubricating oil loses its ability to lubricate the compressor’s internal components. When the temperatures hit 350 degrees and above, the oil breaks down and allows the contaminants to enter the system, resulting in premature compressor failure. Fortunately, since the air conditioning service technicians understand the causes of compressor overheating, they can help prevent the problem. Several internal and external factors can make the compressor overheat, such as:
Causes of Compressor Overheating
Eroded Refrigeration Oil
One of the reasons the compressor in your air conditioning system might overheat and even break down is the diminished quality of the refrigerant oil. It clogs the passages within the compressed air system.
The refrigeration oil is critical in lubricating the mechanical parts of our compressor. It also seals the component to ensure that the contaminants don’t enter the system. Hence, this facilitates the peak efficiency of your air conditioner. However, the refrigerant oil hardens or might go wrong should you not have a timely air conditioning service in Plano, TX. The eroded refrigerant oil makes the internal parts of the air compressor strain move due to insufficient lubrication. Additionally, it makes the metallic parts grind against each other.
It forces the air conditioner to struggle to cool your home. Whenever this happens, you should enlist the help of a reliable technician to replace the refrigerant oil from your AC that gets older more frequently. By doing this, you will prevent multiple wear and tears. Should you notice that the unit produces a burnt oil smell that shows that the refrigerant oil has hardened. Hardened refrigerant oil has a decreased cooling ability. The excessive heat from the compressor also makes the refrigerant oil lose its viscosity, resulting in various air conditioner issues.
High Compression Ratios
A high compression ratio is among the internal aspects that could make the compressor overheat. The rise in compression ratio is caused by low suction pressure. On the other hand, the suction pressure is lower because of improperly fitted air conditioning components. It also might be caused by installing improperly-sized components. A high compression ratio can also be caused by other factors, including plugged strainers or driers, faulty metering devices, low refrigerant levels, and excess drop in suction line pressure. All these can make the compressor overheat. Fortunately, some of these can be caught by a technician during a routine air conditioning service. Additionally, having a technician keep the suction pressure at its highest value possible is essential because it prevents overheating and ensures the compressor’s smooth running.
Excess Discharge Pressure
Whenever the discharge pressure skyrockets, the compressor starts overheating because of an increase in compression ratio. The abnormally high discharge might be caused by dirty condenser coils, an undersized condenser, or an erratic condenser fan that makes the refrigeration system at the head of your compressor become too. Other factors, including refrigerant overcharge, clocked condenser air, and under-sized discharge line, may also result in high compression ratios.
You can maintain the discharge pressure to normal operating conditions with the help of a reliable air conditioning service provider. Does your refrigeration system have electronic controllers? If yes, it can automatically alert you of any developing issue since it can monitor the discharge line temperatures. The technician should inspect the discharge pressure as a part of the routine air conditioning service.
Inadequate Cooler Space
Warm space is an external condition that can make the compressor overheat and eventually fail. Any licensed, experienced, and professional air conditioning repair service can never install the compressor in a warm area. The compressor should be installed in a room having sufficient ventilation to ensure the internal processes of the unit are smoothly running.
If you place the compressor in a poorly ventilated area, the surrounding heat might build moisture within the unit. This results in overheating, which harms the essential functions of the compressor. Hence, a reputable and experienced air conditioning service professional installs the compressor in an adequately ventilated area.
Routine AC Service
An air conditioner is a critical appliance in most Plano, TX homes. It ensures they are comfortable and sufficiently cooled under the hot Texas summers. If not serviced it will result in issues like overheating. One of the components affected by overheating is the compressor. Since it plays a critical role in the whole AC operation, it might make your unit fail to function. Contact our One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas technicians for reliable air conditioning service.