Just like any other system, your air conditioner is likely to develop a few problems over the course of its lifetime. No matter how well you take care of it, you’re going to have to call for air conditioner repairs at some point. The important thing is recognizing when you need to call for those repairs, and doing so as quickly as possible. The faster you address repair issues, the better shape your air conditioner will be in. With that in mind, let’s examine some air conditioning repair issues that you should watch out for.
Frozen or Dirty Coils
Your air conditioner makes use of two units in order to operate, one installed inside and one outside. Each unit contains a coil, which is connected to the refrigerant line that runs between them. The inside unit is the evaporator coil, which evaporates refrigerant in order to absorb heat from the air. This causes condensation to form on the coil, which is then drained out of the system. The refrigerant gas then carries the heat to the condenser coil in the outside unit. There, the gas is condensed back into a liquid to release the heat into the outside air. This is how your air conditioner cools the air in your home. When the coils become dirty, however, there are some problems that can occur.
A dirty evaporator coil loses the ability to absorb heat from the air. It keeps evaporating refrigerant, however, which causes the condensation on the coil to freeze before it can drain away. The buildup of ice completely blocks the flow of air to the evaporator coil, and could actually damage it if not removed in time.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling is a behavior in which a system will rapidly turn itself on and off every few minutes. This is an extremely damaging behavior, one that can increase the chance of a breakdown and drastically shorten the system’s lifespan. In air conditioners, this is often caused by a malfunctioning thermostat or compressor. The thermostat will turn the air conditioner on and off either because of a short, or because it cannot accurately read the temperature in the room. Meanwhile, a malfunctioning compressor will cause irregular pressure in the refrigerant line, resulting in an irregular cycle.
If you think your air conditioning system is in need of repair, call Sound Heating for our quality air conditioning repair service in Bellevue, WA.