Air conditioners can’t last forever. It would be nice, but technology simply hasn’t allowed for that yet. If your system is well cared for, you can expect to get about 10-15 years of efficient use out of it–maybe more if you’re really fortunate!
But living in any city within Florida means your air conditioner goes through a lot of work and accumulates a lot of wear and tear throughout the years. So, if you want any hope of your air conditioner even reaching its intended lifespan, it needs to be professionally maintained, and you need to stay on top of your AC repair needs.
But how do you know you have AC repair needs? Are there any telltale signs? Yup, there sure are! Read on as we uncover 4 of the most common.
It’s Not Staying Cool in Your Home
“Wait, isn’t this an obvious sign of trouble?” may be a question you’re asking here. The answer is, yes and no.
Yes, obviously if your air conditioner is failing to send any cooled air into your home, it’s an apparent problem and sign that your cooling system needs to be fixed.
But, on a 90° day, you may chalk up the lack of cool air or feeling of lukewarm air to how hot it is outside. While it’s true that your AC system can’t effectively cool down any lower than 20° what the temperature is outside, you should still feel cool air coming from the vents.
If your AC isn’t doing this, you might have a refrigerant leak, clogged up air filter, or a number of other potential issues.
Your Energy Bills Are Too High
We understand–this one is a little subjective. But when we talk about bills that are “too” high, we’re speaking to when you compare the bills to what you were paying this time last year. You might even consider comparing your cooling bills to what your neighbors are paying for similar use.
If you’re paying far more than you think you should, it’s typically a sign that something is causing the air conditioner to behave inefficiently.
Your AC Is Short-Cycling
Short-cycling describes when an air conditioner rapidly turns on and off, never actually completing a full cooling cycle. This is both the symptom of a problem and the cause of more problems.
The thing is, your air conditioner uses the most energy when it turns on. If it is turning on more often than it should, it’s clearly not working as efficiently as it could. This is going to raise your energy bills and increase the rate of wear and tear on your entire system.
Short-cycling is typically caused by an improperly sized AC unit–which you’d notice right after installation–or an electrical issue somewhere within the system. Don’t let your system short-cycle for too long! Give our pros a call.
You Hear Strange Noises
Just like there’s no such thing as an air conditioner that lasts forever, there’s also no such thing as a completely silent air conditioner. You’re going to hear it operating, plan and simple.
But you should be alert to any sounds that are out of the ordinary of what you hear day-to-day. This can include banging, clicking, the short-cycling we mentioned above, buzzing, or even a hissing sound like air being let out of a tire.
These are all noises caused by something going wrong in your system and should be checked out right away, for your comfort and for your safety.
When you need quality AC repair in Navarre, look no further than Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc. Contact us today!