Signs You Need To Call Out A Technician For An Air Conditioning Repair | Frisco, TX

Photo By AndreyPopov at istock

For those who live in Frisco, TX, hot humid summers are a way of life. Temperatures are often more than 100 degrees, and with your air conditioner working all day and night for most of the summer period, there is a greater chance that it will break down and need an air conditioning repair.

Air conditioning repair problems usually happen at the most inconvenient times. When a breakdown occurs conditions in your home will soon deteriorate. Temperatures will rise and air quality will worsen. This is not what you want if you are looking after young children or sick and elderly adults. The poor air quality will also make life difficult for those with chronic breathing problems and a potentially more expensive air conditioning repair.

What can the citizens of Frisco, TX do? They could call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas for an expert air conditioning repair service, but they can help avoid a costly repair by spotting any minor issues early before they become major ones.

How Does an Air Conditioner Work?

All the major components of the air conditioner are connected by a circuit of copper tubes, which contain the coolant. A fan extracts the warm air from your home through a grille at the base of the air conditioner and blows it across evaporator coils. These evaporator coils contain a liquid coolant, and like the cold box in a fridge, it absorbs the heat from the warm air. The new cool air is blown back into your home.

The heat from the warm air raises the temperature of the liquid coolant in the evaporator coils and the liquid now changes state into a warm gas. The compressor compresses the warm gas into hotter higher-pressure gas. Any gas will flow from a higher-pressure region to a lower pressure region, so the compressor efficiently pumps the gas coolant through the copper tubes and to the condenser and cooling fins.

The condenser and cooling fins are situated outside your home, and with the aid of another fan blowing the outside air over the condenser and cooling fins, the heat is transferred to the air. The hot gas coolant is changed back into a cold liquid again and it continues its journey back to the evaporator coils and the cycle repeats. Eventually, the warmer air and humidity inside your home will be removed outside into the Frisco, TX area.

There are many components in an air conditioner that could break down requiring an air conditioning repair and we at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas strongly advise that you have your unit regularly serviced.

Have Your Air Conditioner Regularly Serviced!

The best thing you can do for your air conditioner is to have it periodically serviced by a technician from One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas serving Frisco, TX. They will carefully check your air conditioning system searching for wear and tear, any strange noises, or any sign of malfunctioning components. It could be that a component will require an air conditioning repair, but it will be cheaper to deal with now, rather than during an emergency call out. Your system will also be given a thorough clean during the service.

Some of the most important checks during an air conditioner service are:

• Checking the level of coolant in the system and top-up if necessary
• The evaporator coil is cleaned
• Air filters are cleaned or replaced
• The fans are checked for damage
• The condenser and cooling fins are inspected and cleaned
• Thermostats are recalibrated
• AC drain line and drain pan are cleaned
• Electrical circuits are checked for any loose connections or wiring.

Trying to save money by skipping a service is a false economy. An extensive air conditioning repair could set you back hundreds of dollars. A routine service will pick on any minor problems before they become major ones. A service will ensure that your unit is working at its highest efficiency and reduce your energy bills. It will also give you peace of mind during the long summer months when it is working constantly.

After you have a service, your unit will be less likely to break down and need an air conditioning repair. Problems with air conditioners can happen even after service, but if you are vigilant, you can spot signs of any impending problems and take action to avoid the need for an emergency and expensive air conditioning repair.

Most Common Air Conditioner Problems

Your Air Conditioner Is Not Blowing Out Enough Cool Air

This is not something you want to happen on a hot summer’s day. There could be a problem with the evaporator coils. Without enough coolant, the amount of heat absorbed from the warm air blown over them will be reduced, so the cooling effect from your unit will be lessened.

There could be a problem with the fan blowing the warm air from inside your home over the coils, if the fan is faulty and does not blow enough warm air over the coils, then the cooling effect will also be reduced. You may even see frost and ice forming on the coils. If you ignore this sign, then the evaporator coil could freeze.

If it does, you will need to turn the air conditioner off to allow the coils to thaw. This could take up to 24 hours and is a period of time you do not want your unit out of action on a hot summer’s day. You will need an air conditioning repair to investigate these problems. Remember the more often the evaporator coils freeze the more likely you will need an air conditioning repair.

High Humidity in Your Home

One task that your air conditioner does is to reduce the amount of humidity in your home is to remove warm air that contains more moisture than cold air, so the cooler the air been blown back into your home with less moisture it, making it feel less humid. As we have seen the evaporator coils need a constant supply of warm air to be blown over them, or else there will be less cool air coming from your unit.

One cause for any reduction in airflow is that your air filters are dirty and these need to be cleaned or replaced regularly. As well as cooler air in your home, an additional bonus is that cleaner air filters will allow less dirt and pollen to enter your home and so your air quality will improve. This will be a great relief for asthma sufferers. The cleaning and replacement of dirty air filters are part of a regular service from One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas.

Your Energy Bills Are Larger Than Usual

Any problems with one component in your air conditioner will impact the others. For example, if dirt accumulates on the evaporator coils it will act as an insulating layer impeding the rate at which heat from the warm air is transferred to the coolant. If frost and ice form on the evaporator coils that will further reduce the rate of heat transfer, as layers of frost and ice will also act as insulating materials.

The other components such as the compressor and condenser will have to work harder to compensate in order to maintain the temperature you have selected. As these components are working harder, they will use more electricity and drive up your energy bills. Harder working components are more likely to overheat and break down, increasing the need for an air conditioning repair.

Puddles of Water Around Your Air Conditioner

A simple cause of puddles (inside or outside near the AC) could be any loose or leaking connections in your unit. Having water running in the air conditioner could cause a short circuit and the need for an air conditioning repair. Another reason for the puddles of water could be a blocked AC drain line.

There is more moisture carried in hot air than in cold air. As the warm air blown over the evaporator coils is cooled it loses moisture. This moisture is collected as water in the drain pan, and it flows outside through the AC drain line. The humidity in the drain pan and AC drain line could encourage the growth of mold and algae which could block the AC drain line. The water in the drain pan will build up and then overflow into the insides of the air conditioner and then onto your floor.

Strange Smells When the Unit Is On

The AC drain line or drain pan will need to be cleaned regularly to remove any mold or algae growth, or there is a chance that the AC drain line will block. If you smell any mold coming from your unit it could be due it could be from this source.

One of the tasks performed during service is the thorough cleaning of the insides of your unit. It is important that dust or dirt is removed from any components. As the components heat up the dust could give off a burning smell. The dust also acts as an insulating layer and could add to the overheating problem, meaning the components are more likely to burn out and need an air conditioning repair.

Any loose solder or wiring in the electrical circuits could also give rise to burning smells. Any burning smell will need to be investigated immediately so call a technician from One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas for a potential air conditioning repair as there is now an increased risk of a fire starting in your unit make sure to check this out immediately to ensure the safety of your loved ones.

Strange Sounds When the Unit Is On

A working air conditioner will always make some noise. The many working parts in an air conditioner may contribute to any strange noises. A fan is a common source of odd noises, any grinding, squealing, or scraping sounds could mean you have a worn-out fan belt or bearings.

Any loud thumping sounds could be due to a loose or bent blade striking the inside of your unit. If you are unhappy with the sounds coming from the air conditioner, please call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas so we can send a trained technician around to investigate. Leaving a faulty fan like this could cause damage to the insides of your unit needing an air conditioning repair.

Dirty Condenser and Cooling Fins

The condenser and cooling fins allow the heat from inside your home to be radiated away to the outside air. The condenser and cooling fins are located outside your home and are likely to have dirt and grime deposited on them too much debris and you will need an air conditioning repair. This problem is worse in a city with a lot of air pollution. The dirt layer will act as an insulating material, reducing the rate at which the warm coolant will transfer its heat to the outside air.

Often moss and weeds will grow on the condenser and fins, this has the effect of blocking the outside air from been blown over them by the outside fan. Any dirt layer or moss growth will reduce the cooling effect of your air conditioner and this needs to be removed during service from One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas.

One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas Keeping the People of Frisco, TX Cool and Safe

Many of the issues highlighted above will be rectified during a regular service from one of One Hour’s many skilled technicians. A service will lessen the chance of a breakdown and the need for an air conditioning repair during the summer months.

We understand how stressful it is to have your air conditioner break down and needing an air conditioning repair. In these situations, your family’s safety is our top priority. We will always have somebody on call 24/7 to deal quickly with any emergency call. The work will be carried out to the highest possible standards and to your total satisfaction. Whatever your air conditioning needs in Frisco, TX then please call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas today.