Air Conditioner – Signs Yours Needs Help

When summer hits and you get ready to turn on your air conditioner, you likely wonder whether or not you should have it serviced this year. There are some sure signs you can look for to know that your AC unit needs help. Knowing these will help you seek professional service before a problem gets out of hand and becomes incredibly expensive.

The fact of the matter is there are times you will need help with your AC unit. Some of these times are fairly obvious. For instance, if you turn on your unit and it does not run, you know that you need professional repair help. After all, it should run when you turn it on. This is typically an emergency situation that requires immediate service or you will not have a working unit. However, other times are not so obvious.

One of the first signs you will notice when it is time for your air conditioner to be serviced is a lack of efficiency. You will have to pay attention to notice this, however, because it’s not always as obvious as you might think. If you notice that it is running more than normal when the temperature outside hasn’t changed significantly, it might be time to give your repair technician a call. Similarly, if it is running a lot and not making much of a different in the temperature in your home, you should call.

If you are unsure about the efficiency of your unit, you can do an experiment. Turn it down past where you normally feel comfortable and let it run for a little while. If you start to feel too cool and then the unit shuts off, your unit is probably working well. If it continues to run but you do not feel the temperature change, it is not running efficiently. You can also purchase a low cost thermometer to place in your home to see what temperature it is achieving. Keep in mind that even the best units are going to struggle on extremely warm days.

Noises are another sight that your air conditioner needs help. Squeals, clunks, and other noises you don’t normally hear are a problem. They may not put your family’s safety at risk, but these sounds indicate something is going wrong inside the unit, and you should get service as soon as possible, because failure to do so could mean the unit breaks completely and costs even more to repair.

Finally, pay attention to how well the unit cools your entire home. If some areas are not getting cool but others are, you may want to have your system looked at. There could be a block somewhere in your HVAC system that is hurting its efficiency, or you may need a different type of air conditioner for the layout of your home. Asking a professional’s opinion is far better than using the unit incorrectly or at a lower level of efficiency. Remember, when it comes to HVAC systems, it is usually better to have the repair done early rather than wait for it to become a real, and expensive, problem.