While other parts of the country are just now starting to use their air conditioners for the season. Those of us in the Navarre area use ours on nearly a daily basis. This said, our cooling systems go through a lot every year, accumulating wear and tear at a rapid rate, and possibly requiring more repairs because of this.
To avoid the biggest and most sudden of repair needs, we encourage you to schedule maintenance at least once a year for your air conditioning system. During your tune-up, our professionals comprehensively inspect, clean, and adjust the components of your air conditioner to ensure its optimal performance. With or without this tune-up, however, if your AC is making sounds you don’t recognize, it’s time to call in a professional. What sounds are we referring to? Read on!
Hissing/Gurgling
We’ve had customers call and complain about a hissing sound, and others call saying they hear something that resembles gurgling. Depending on where exactly in the system it is, these two sounds can indicate the same problem—a refrigerant leak.
There’s a fairly common misconception that air conditioners consume refrigerant like vehicles consume gasoline. So, it’s normal to lose refrigerant, right? Wrong! If your air conditioner is losing refrigerant it means there is a leak. This is a much bigger deal than many homeowners realize, because refrigerant leaks deprive the cooling system of the fluid it needs to cool the home. As the refrigerant level—charge—in the air conditioner declines, so too does the ability to actually cool your home.
Eventually, the refrigerant charge will drop so low that the cooling system won’t be able to operate and will break down. Call us for repairs ASAP if you hear hissing or gurgling coming from your air conditioner!
Grinding
The air handler is the component within your air conditioner actually responsible for circulating cooled air throughout your home while the system is running. The air handler’s motor goes under a lot of stress while the system is running, so to help it copes, there are a number of oiled bearings.
Eventually, however, these bearings wear down due to natural progression and age. As this occurs, friction on the air handler motor increases. This will cause the motor to emit a grinding sound while the system is running. If you hear this noise, it’s time to give us a call for repairs. The bearings will need to be replaced before your air conditioner overheats and burns out as a result.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling is when your air conditioner turns itself on and off every few minutes, rather than completing a full cooling cycle. It’s typically the result of an electrical problem within the air conditioner. Short-cycling is both a symptom of a problem and the cause of problems. It prevents the air conditioner from providing sufficient cooling, and also accelerates the rate at which the system wears down.
If short-cycling is ignored for too long, your AC system will be more likely to break down, shortening its lifespan. If you hear your system rapidly turning on and off, it’s time to give us a call.
Contact Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc. for reliable AC repair in Navarre, FL.