When To Call For Emergency Heating And AC Repair | Richardson, TX
Photo By New Africa at Shutterstock
With any luck your year will be free of emergency heating and AC repair visits, but sometimes things can happen without too many signs. Every so often a furnace or AC system fails to start-up or breakdowns in the middle of the night. For some reason, when a system decides to quit it is always at an inconvenient odd time. We get countless calls in the morning that HVAC systems stopped working overnight. These temperamental machines always seem to get the best of homes in Richardson, TX.
Luckily for you, the technicians at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas, TX are used to working with machines that are not predictable. Usually, we can pinpoint the reason why an HVAC system may have broken down, and get it back in working condition as soon as possible. However, the number one thing we hear from customers is that they are unsure of whether they need emergency heating and AC repair or can wait until morning to call. If you have never had an HVAC issue before, it can be hard to tell whether something is an emergency or not.
We completely understand not wanting to rush to make a repair if it can wait until morning, and we know the associated costs of an emergency heating and AC repair can sometimes be a hindrance towards getting help. That is one reason we work hard to keep our pricing affordable for all our customers. Despite this fact, sometimes a call will be an emergency and sometimes it isn’t. While you are always welcome to call and ask us personally if you should wait until morning or we should come out right away, here is a quick list of issues that require you to call for emergency heating and AC repair in Richardson, TX to help make the decision a little easier for you.
The good news is that almost all air conditioning problems are minor inconveniences that you can wait to deal with and most can be repaired in case you are worried that an HVAC breakdown means you need to completely replace the entire system. With that in mind, here are the instances when you should call for emergency heating and AC repair.
Significantly Reduced or No Airflow
While most people think of a lack of heating as a larger emergency than a lack of AC as an emergency, not having access to AC during the hot heat of Richardson, TX winters can indeed be very serious. When temperatures rise above 100 degrees not being able to properly cool your home can be potentially dangerous for pets and homeowners. The risk rises if members of your home are sick, elderly, or have issues with regulating body temperature. Young children, in particular, can be at high risk, especially infants. This is why the absence of cool air does constitute a good reason to call for emergency heating and AC repair.
If it seems like your HVAC system is working, you are noticing that it is cycling, but you notice that the air is not cold then it is possible the issue involves your air filter. Before calling for emergency heating and AC repair you may want to try changing your air filter. It is usually recommended that you change your air filters every three to five months, so if you know it has been longer than this it’s not a bad idea to check out your air filter.
An air filter that is clogged or dirty will stop air from properly flowing from your HVAC system into your ductwork. This is the simplest solution, and certainly, the one that most homeowners are hoping for when they notice that the system is cycling but no air is being produced.
However, if the air filter has been changed recently and looks clean or you changed it and the problem is still occurring, then it is probably time to call for emergency heating and AC repair in Richardson, TX. Not only can a lack of cold air or reduced cold air be a big issue since you will not be able to cool your home, but it will also increase your energy bills over time.
Even if you think that you can wait to deal with it, the longer that you wait the longer you will pay increased energy bills. An HVAC system that is only working at half-capacity will double your energy bills as a result, and that is not something that you want to continue paying given the high energy charges in Texas. Save yourself the money and go ahead and call for emergency heating and AC repair so that you can be comfortable in your home again and avoid paying more for fewer results.
You Suspect There Are Electrical Issues
If you have any reason to suspect that there may be an electrical issue with your furnace or AC then you need to immediately call for emergency heating and AC repair. This is not something that you want to fool around with because it can be very dangerous for everyone in your home. Even a small electrical issue can lead to a fire so if you suspect that something is wrong you need to call for emergency heating and AC repair and avoid attempting to fix the issue on your own.
A lot of people think that if it is a small electrical issue they can reset it, but this can lead to dangerous results. Electrical writing is never something that you should play around with, and it is well worth the costs of an emergency heating and AC repair visit to make sure that everything is fixed correctly and accurately.
There are certain issues that may point towards an electrical issue with your HVAC system for example if you see an error code on your thermostat. Other signs that it may be a wiring issue include if your air conditioner only seems to work part of the time and/or if you notice that it only works when turned onto certain settings. There is no reason why your thermostat should be picky, outside of electrical issues so if you notice any of these above signs it is time to call for help from an emergency heating and AC repair company.
Other times it may be easier to diagnose that you are having an electrical issue. For example, if your entire system shuts down and your thermostat goes blank. If your thermostat is on but your system refuses to start up then this is likely a mechanical issue, but if your entire thermostat is blank and the system is not functioning then you have much bigger problems than a broken component.
The one thing that you can attempt to do on your own if you notice this issue is to check the circuit breaker. If a circuit trips or the fuse burns out then it is possible that you just need to restart your circuit. However, if you reset the circuit breaker and it still does not turn on then you probably have a bigger issue to deal with. In addition, if you reset the circuit breaker and your system turns back on, but then it trips the circuit again you definitely have an electrical issue that needs to be dealt with. Your circuit is tripping due to a power surge, and if the power surge continues to occur then for the safety of everyone in your home you need to listen to the breaker and keep your HVAC system off until help can arise. In this scenario, the best thing you can do is contact a professional HVAC technician.
In some cases, the electrical issue turns out to be something that can quickly be fixed, which is what every homeowner hopes is the case, but in other cases, the issues may be caused by damaged wiring or wiring that was not properly installed the first time. Ignoring these types of issues could result in an electrical fire which is an outcome no homeowner wants to deal with. Calling for help from an emergency heating and AC repair technician in Richardson, TX will result in a much more favorable outcome.
Odd Odors Coming from Your Air Ducts
An AC that is running correctly should have no discernible smell. The air should flow out of the air ducts clean and purified, but if something is wrong you may notice a musty or moldy smell. Sometimes when you first kick on the AC for the season it can smell a bit musty simply because it hasn’t been used in a year, however, if after a few minutes the smell does not go away you may have a larger issue. In fact, if the smell does not go away after an hour or so you probably have an issue that it is worth calling for emergency heating and AC repair.
Musty and moldy smells usually indicate that you have dust or mold growing somewhere in your air duct system or within your HVAC system. This can occur if water accumulates in your drain lines or along the ductwork which will then lead to the growth of mildew and mold. It is surprising how little moisture it takes for mold to grow. One spill near an air duct is all that is necessary for mold to start growing if the conditions are right. If you suspect that mold or mildew might be in your ductwork you may not need emergency heating and AC repair, but you will need to contact your HVAC company about a duct cleaning service or an air conditioning cleaning service. Thoroughly cleaning out your ducts and your HVAC system should put an end to the smell quickly. Keep in mind that while it is not an emergency, breathing mold is not good for anyone in your home, so you want to address the issue sooner versus later.
There are other smells that do constitute an emergency heating and AC repair call such as burning smells coming from your air ducts. There is absolutely no reason why you should ever smell anything burning in conjunction with your HVAC system. If you do, the very first thing you need to do is turn off your AC. The longer it stays on the higher the chances that a fire may actually occur. The burning smell you notice may actually be wiring smoldering, so you need to cut the electricity off to it right away. The next thing you need to do is contact your local Richardson, TX emergency heating and AC repair company.
Burning smells are not the only odd smells you should be worried about. If your HVAC system is powered by neutral gas and you start to smell a skunk or sulfur-like smell coming from your air vents you need to also treat this as an emergency. Natural gas can be very deadly and very dangerous because it can lead to an explosion or silently suffocate you or anyone else in your home. If you smell a bad sulfur-like smell that many people describe as rotten eggs the first thing you need to do is turn off your HVAC system and immediately leave your home.
Once you are a safe distance away from your home call your local gas company and report the issue. They will check your home and verify whether or not there is a gas leak. If there is in fact a leak they will turn off your gas until it can be fixed. If the problem is within the lines you will need a plumber, but if the leak is coming from your HVAC system then you may need emergency heating and AC repair. You can figure that part out later however, the important thing is that you get out of your home and get the gas company or local fire department to come to inspect the leak.
Are you experiencing any of the above scenarios within your home? If so, contact One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas today. We offer a full team of trained technicians on standby at any time to help our Richardson, TX customers when they face an HVAC emergency.