If you have noticed hot air blowing out of your vents or that cool air doesn’t reach as far in your home as before, it may be time for professional inspection and AC repair. There could be many causes.
If you ignore these warning signs, your AC will keep working harder and use up more electricity until it finally breaks down. If you’ve noticed these issues with your AC, don’t sweat it! Get it checked by the pros at River Valley to keep your cool and save on energy bills.
Unusual Smells
If your AC unit begins smelling odd, it could indicate something is amiss. A musty odor could indicate mold or mildew is growing on its coils and creating air quality issues in your home. If this occurs while running, stop immediately and call for service before the problem escalates.
Stale air from your vents could indicate mold and mildew growth within your AC unit and should not be ignored, as this could spread harmful mold spores throughout your home.
Weird Noises
Clanking, rattling or squealing noises from your air conditioning vents usually indicate something going wrong in the system – from something simple such as a loose belt to more severe problems requiring professional intervention.
A grinding or squealing noise typically indicates something amiss with either your compressor fan or blower fan that needs professional intervention to address.
If these noises increase in volume or you hear a whining sound, that may indicate dirty or damaged components need cleaning/replacing, water is leaking from it, or condensation has collected around it, indicating failure of its compressor. This expensive part must be addressed!
Incorrect & Inconsistent Temperatures
If your air conditioner is running, but your house doesn’t feel cool enough, it may be time for repairs. All signs should prompt you to contact an AC specialist immediately.
Be on the lookout for any signs of warm air coming through your vents – this could indicate a dirty filter, low refrigerant levels or an issue with the compressor that needs immediate attention to prevent further damage to your AC system and avoid unnecessary energy consumption from heating and cooling your home unnecessarily.
Whenever your AC works hard to produce cool air but the temperature in your home doesn’t seem to decrease, this could be a telltale sign that either the insulation in your ductwork is lacking or that its size doesn’t match up with that of your house. These issues are both costly and uncomfortable – an HVAC specialist can quickly resolve this issue for you.
High Power Bills
If your energy bills have increased without any noticeable change to your usage patterns, this could indicate that your AC unit has become damaged and requires more electricity for operation than usual. With ACs using so much power for cooling, even minor problems could cause them to use more electricity and run more frequently to stay calm.
If your AC unit doesn’t start up, you can try a few steps before calling in professional assistance.
Check that the thermostat is set to cool mode with fan auto mode enabled, and check the air filter cleanliness; an ineffective or dirty filter may prevent your system from turning on. Finally, flipping circuit breakers pose serious safety concerns that should only be reset by professionals.
An unexpected spike in energy bills could indicate that your AC unit is malfunctioning since your energy bill should stay fairly consistent throughout the year. A sudden jump could indicate that it has had to work harder at cooling power production. To be on the safe side, track how your usage has fluctuated over the months as a way of measuring progress.
