With our eternal Southwest Arizona summer locked in, the last thing you want is to be caught in the heat with a broken air conditioner. With just a little education, though, you can be prepared for the most common air conditioning problems.
- Improper use/maintenance – The first key to keeping your A/C running smoothly is making sure it isn’t
working harder than it has to. Fortunately, this is something you can control. When the unit is running, check that all doors and windows in your house are sealed tight. For room units, make sure the A/C is only cooling that room by keeping the door shut. It’s also important to maintain your air conditioner. Determine if you have disposable or reusable filters and be sure to inspect them every month, and then replace or clean them if they look dirty. Check and clean the evaporator and condenser coils at the beginning of every cooling season and remove debris from around the outdoor unit. Being diligent in these areas will keep many common air conditioning problems at bay.
There’s a lot you can do to maintain your A/C, but some issues are beyond your control. Here’s a few tips to let you know when to call in a professional.
- Leaks – If your A/C seems to be losing the ability to properly cool your home, or it’s costing more than it used to on your monthly electric bills, you could have insufficient refrigerant in the system. A good technician will look at the refrigerant charge, make sure it’s right at the recommended amount, and then if the level is low, will check for leaks and repair them if necessary.
- Electric control issues – Internal controls in a system can wear out or corrode over time. Make sure these are checked during a service call.
- Sensors – With room A/Cs, the thermostat sensor may be thrown off if it touches the evaporator coil. Make sure the sensor is close to, but not touching, the coil.
Proper annual maintenance will help you catch common air conditioning problems early. When problems do arise, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Co. We provide quality services to the Yuma area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioning problems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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