Signs Your AC Needs Air Conditioning Repair | Dallas, TX

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Air conditioners are a great modern convenience that we love when they are working properly that is. Air conditioners are a necessity in Dallas, TX where heat can soar as high as 117 °F. Dallas, TX is also identified as humid subtropical, even though the surrounding region tends to have warm dry winds. We use air conditioners daily when the temperature starts to climb, but when something goes wrong our first course of action is to reach out for air conditioning repair. Yet when do we know when our AC units need attention or an AC tune-up? If you learn to recognize the signs that you are in need of air conditioning repair and act quickly on obtaining air conditioning service you can avoid more serious AC repairs or even AC replacement. Being attentive to your AC unit can save you time, money, and headaches, not to mention prevent you from being without an Air conditioner during the middle of brutal summers. We will discuss the top signs that your AC is in need of AC repair service. If you pay attention to these signs you can avoid more costly repairs or even AC replacement.

Little to no airflow

This is something you do not want happening in your home. If you suddenly notice that your air conditioner has very little to no airflow, on top of being annoyed you are likely getting pretty hot. This is a sure sign that you need to make that call for air conditioning repair. There are four main reasons you can be dealing with weak airflow from your AC unit. If your air filter is clogged, you can have reduced airflow. Your air conditioner “breathes” via the return vents, but if your AC’s filter is clogged up it cannot pull in the full amount of air from the vents. You would struggle to breathe with a thick blanket over your nose and mouth, so too does your AC unit struggle to breathe with a clogged air filter. The fix for this is rather simple, just have the AC filter replaced. You also should ensure that your return vents are not blocked by anything such as furniture, plants, or decorations. Another cause of reduced airflow is a frozen evaporator coil. Your AC unit cools down the home by having air pass over cold evaporator coils. If the coils become frozen it blocks airflow over the coils and thus into your duct system. Your coil can freeze over due to a dirty filter, dirt building up on your evaporator coils, and also from a refrigerant leak. If your evaporator coil has frozen, you will need to call for air conditioning repair. Another cause of reduced airflow is if your air ducts are leaking or have become blocked. Your air ducts are an important part of your AC system, it delivers cool air to your entire home. If there are any obstructions, leaks, or holes in your duct system you will see reduced cool airflow into your home. This usually happens over time rather than suddenly unless one of your ducts has suffered a puncture. Yet another cause of little to no airflow in your home is if you have problems with your AC blower. Your AC blower is the fan that sends all the cool air throughout your air ducts and into your home. If you have too much dust and grime on your fan blades or a failing blower motor you could face reduced airflow. If your AC blower is failing, you are going to need air conditioning repair for your home.

AC is blowing warm air

The temperatures outside in Dallas, TX can be rather brutal. If your air conditioner suddenly starts to blow warm or hot air you are not going to be comfortable. If you have warm air flowing from your vents you are in need of air conditioning repair from your local air conditioning repair service. If your AC unit is blowing warm air, you should have your air filters checked. Oftentimes our customers who have reported warm air blowing from their vents simply had a dirty air filter. Should your air filters be dirty it will strain the entire system causing warm air to flow instead of cool air. This is because your AC unit can no longer move cool air through your ducts and system. Another possible cause of your AC blowing warm air is frozen evaporator coils. If your evaporator coils are frozen heat transfer will not occur, so you will get warm air instead of cool air. Your coils can freeze due to refrigerant leaks, poor airflow, or damage to other parts of your system. The only way to diagnose the problem will be to call for air conditioning repair. You could also have thermostat issues resulting in your air conditioner blowing warm air into your home. Should your thermostat be set wrong this can happen easily, make sure you have set it to auto and the cool setting selected. If these settings are selected your thermostat could be failing and may need replacing, the only way to know for sure is to call for air conditioning repair. Refrigerant leaks are yet another common reason for warm air to be blowing into your home. If your refrigerant is low or is leaking your air conditioner will no longer have the proper coolant to complete the unit’s cooling cycles, resulting in warm or hot air blowing into your home. Sadly only a licensed Dallas, TX air conditioning repair can repair this issue as they need certifications for refrigerant handling. Some other signs of a refrigerant leak include frozen evaporator coils and hissing noises coming from your AC unit.

Unpleasant odors coming from the AC

You want your AC unit to keep you and your family cool, not make you all noxious and sick. Your unit could have disgusting mold and mildew trapped inside. Mold and mildew are toxins that can make you and your family sick. If you smell a funky musky smell emanating from your unit, you are likely dealing with mold in your system. If mold is present in your AC system, mold spores will be blowing throughout your home. If ignored, mold can quickly take over your home resulting in the need for expensive mold remediation. Mold can quickly take hold of your walls, floors, ceilings, drywall, and more. This is one issue you want to call for a licensed Dallas, TX air conditioning repair service. If your AC unit smells like some funky old feet or dirty socks you are likely dealing with a dirty or clogged air conditioner. If water is not draining properly from your AC unit it can begin to collect inside of the unit and start to smell funky. A professional cleaning from an air conditioning repair service can solve the problem, so too can an AC tune-up as part of an AC tune-up entails cleaning out of the unit and changing any filters. If your air conditioner smells like exhaust fumes you are likely dealing with leaking fluids in either the engine of your AC unit or other parts of your air conditioner. If you have leaking fluids this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed right away by an air conditioning repair service. If your AC unit begins to smell like gunpowder this too is a serious issue as it is likely a burning scent, not gunpowder. If you start to smell this scent, turn off the AC unit right away and call in your local air conditioning repair service. Should you start to smell a skunk smell emanating from your AC unit this too is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. The smell of skunk from your unit most often means that you are dealing with a gas leak inside of your AC system. These gases are dangerous, putting you and your family at risk, this is one time to make that call for EMERGENCY air conditioning repair service. Should your AC unit smell like rotten eggs, the cause of the smell is oftentimes a dead animal believe it or not. Small animals such as birds and rodents often take shelter in your air ducts during the winter, where they often die and start the process of decomposition. In order to remove the stench, you will need your ducts cleaned out by a professional air conditioning repair service.

Strange sounds coming from the AC

Strange sounds coming from the AC unit are a complicated issue as there are many different sounds a failing AC unit can make. Strange sounds coming from your AC unit usually spell trouble, as your AC unit will usually warn you via sound when something is wrong. If you notice unusual sounds coming from your AC unit it is time to call your local air conditioning repair service. Let’s examine some of the sounds you might hear coming from your AC unit and what they could mean:

Clicking from the outdoor unit as it runs. This is often due to an obstruction in the fan in the outdoor unit also known as your condenser unit. You will need whatever is stuck inside removed to make this noise stop.

Clicking from the outdoor unit and it will not turn on. Should your unit fail to turn on and all you hear is a clicking sound this could be due to one or more of the electrical parts of your system failing.

Bubbling or gurgling noise. This is likely due to an issue with your condensate drain line. You could however have an issue with your refrigerant leaking, which is a serious issue that could make you and your family sick. If you hear this sound better to be safe than sorry and make that call for air conditioning repair.

Clanging or banging sound from your outdoor unit. This often signals an issue with your fan in the outdoor unit. Likely the fan is hitting other metal parts inside of the unit. There could also be an obstruction inside of the unit causing the sound. If the mount of your fan has become loose, you can hear this sound as the fan strikes the protective cage that houses the fan.

Squealing sound coming from the indoor unit. This is often due to a problem with your fan belt. While many might not think this is a huge issue, it is. If your fan belt is damaged it will make a squealing sound and a damaged belt can soon break. If your fan belt breaks your AC will no longer function, so you want this issue repaired as soon as possible from an air conditioning repair service.

Metal screeching. If you hear this sound it is likely a serious issue. Oftentimes it is due to the fan motor bearings failing on your unit. This usually means replacing the fan. If you have an issue with your fan motor you can also hear this noise. A bad compressor can also be the root cause of this issue, as if the compressor goes bad it can create a rather loud screeching noise.

Humidity in the home

Your AC unit is supposed to reduce the humidity in your home, so if you start to feel noticeable humidity indoors, you likely have a failing AC unit. If there is one thing we know in the city of Dallas, TX it is humidity, and very few of us enjoy it. High humidity in the home can be dangerous for your home as it fosters the growth of mold, a dangerous fungus. Mold can quickly overtake your home, resulting in the need for expensive mold remediation. The ability of your AC unit to remove humidity from your home is an essential function of your air conditioner. This problem can be due to many reasons including a dirty evaporator coil. We should point out that evaporator coils are cleaned during an AC tune-up, so if you have not yet had an AC tune-up this year there is no time like the present to get that done.

If you are dealing with any of the above signs of a failing AC unit call the professionals at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas today! We have decades of experience in repairing and troubleshooting failing air conditioners of any make, age, and model. When you want the best in the business call One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas!