We are definitely in fall now, and even though our temperatures don’t get as chilly as temperatures do in other parts of the country, most of us have turned our attention to our heating systems.
It’s important to remember that you may still need your air conditioner a bit over the coming months. If you’ve lived in the Lake County area for even just a year, then you know that heatwaves can surprise us any time of the year. Living in California gives us that benefit, right?
So, it’s important that you be aware of common AC repair needs, and that if you haven’t had maintenance done in at least a year, you schedule it now. Read on as we uncover some potentially surprising facts about common late-season AC repair needs.
AC Repair Needs Can Be Stealthy
When you think about a malfunctioning cooling system, you probably envision one that sends out lukewarm air, or maybe one that makes a ton of noise. These are signs of an air conditioner in disrepair, but not the only indicators.
In fact, many cooling system issues don’t even show outward signs, at first. You can still receive cool air from the vents and the system might be responding to the thermostat, but you could still have problems like leaking refrigerant, motor bearings wearing down, and even a condensate line backup.
The Problem with a Refrigerant Leak
Homeowners often think of refrigerant refills (recharges) as a maintenance service. In fact, at some point, you might have been told by an inexperienced HVAC professional that your refrigerant needs to be recharged once a year.
This isn’t true, though. Upon manufacturing, your air conditioner is filled with enough refrigerant to ideally last its entire lifetime. If the system is losing refrigerant, it indicates there is a leak.
Refrigerant is what makes the cooling process possible. and without it, your air conditioner simply cannot do its job. If you hear a hissing or bubbling noise or notice that the air doesn’t seem quite as cool as it used to coming from the vents, you may have a refrigerant leak. Give us a call and we can accurately locate it, recharge the refrigerant, and repair the leak so you don’ keep having the problem.
A Normal Part of Wear and Tear
Motor bearings wearing down are a normal part of wear and tear. They’ll need to be re-lubricated during your annual maintenance appointments. What happens when they’re not properly lubricated is that they’ll start to cause friction on the motor, and eventually the motor will overheat and break down, then you’ll have a much more expensive problem on your hands.
So what can you do? First, schedule maintenance! Again, we do a thorough inspection during maintenance, and this is one of the things we check for. Secondly, the moment you hear a screeching noise or something that sounds like metal on metal, give us a call–this is likely a sign that your motor bearings are, in fact, wearing down.
Contact us for whatever your AC service needs are. Jonas Energy Solutions: Become a Part of the Solution!