If you have found that your air conditioner is not functioning properly, and your house is not getting cold enough, it may be time to hire an A/C service technician. The following five air conditioning problems of an inefficiently operating A/C unit require the expertise and knowledge of a licensed A/C service contractor.
The air conditioner is making noise – Many times, obstructed or dirty fan blades are the culprit for generating noise deep within the air conditioning unit. Often, the sound can be grinding or screeching, especially as it winds up or down when the air conditioner is turned on or off.
The air conditioner has completely stopped working – If there is the power to the rest of the house, but your air conditioner will still not operate, it may be a tripped breaker or a broken fuse. While you can easily trip the circuit breaker back on, there is usually an underlying bigger problem that is causing it to trip in the first place, causing a tripped breaker again.
The air conditioner compressor is turned off – Many times the compressor on the air conditioner shuts off due to excessively high internal pressure. Oftentimes, on extremely warm days, the internal pressure will shut off the compressor. While you can let it rest, to allow it to release the pressure, usually the pressure will increase again once the unit returns to operation.
The air conditioner has a low level of refrigerant – Low pressure in your lines, will cause warm circulating air inside the home and is often an indication of a leak of A/C refrigerant. Leaky refrigerant lines require professional help. Typically, the technician will drain the copper lines completely of all refrigerant, weld the leak shut, and top off the refrigerant levels. This usually results in a quick solution to allow your air conditioner to run efficiently while producing cold air.
The air conditioner has frost buildup – Frost buildup on the evaporator coils is often caused by dirt, debris, and grime buildup on the coils. A technician needs to drain the refrigerant, remove the coils from the air handler, and clean them so they will operate correctly.
Any loss of air-conditioning cooling capacity will require the A/C services of a qualified technician. Whether it is an air handler problem, a refrigerant leak, a faulty blower fan, or a broken compressor, trained technicians can generally repair or replace the components and get your AC unit back up and running in no time.
