Wondering whether your air conditioner needs to be serviced by a professional or if your problem can be ignored safely? Today, we’ll look at eight signs that your AC unit needs repair service.
It’s Blowing Hot Air
The most common red flag sign that you need air conditioning repair is if your air conditioner seems to be blowing hot air for any amount of time at all. It’s possible that when you first start your system, it blows warm for a while as it clears out hot air sitting in your ducts, but past that, it’s a problem to be resolved. This issue can be caused by any number of component failures in your AC.
No or Little Air Blowing
If you’re getting less air than usual when your AC is turned on, you probably need professional help to get it back to normal. This issue can be caused by fan or filter problems at the source, or it could be a problem in your ducts, such as obstruction or heavy leakage. Either way, running your AC without getting the cold air where it needs to be is a huge waste of power.
Water or Ice Accumulating or Causing Damage
If you’ve noticed moisture dripping or ice forming on or around your air conditioner, then you might have a problem with your drainage, evaporator coils, fan, or other components of your air conditioner. Moisture is inevitable to some degree when your air conditioner runs. Still, it should be drained away properly — not accumulating on your system or dripping places where it will cause damage.
Unusual Sounds
If you start hearing your air conditioner more than you used to, that’s not a good sign — regardless of how harmless the new sound may be or how little it seems to be affecting performance or efficiency. Over time, whatever causes that sound will probably cause more damage than it already has, and you’re going to be looking at costly repairs.
Strange Smells
While a strange-smelling gust from your air conditioning isn’t quite as dire as a similar problem can be from a gas furnace, it’s still a problem that needs to be resolved. Strange smells can be components burning up due to inappropriate friction or can indicate mold or mildew in your ducts or near your intake — often a result of moisture forming where it shouldn’t.
Utility Bills Going Up
If you notice your bills start shooting up for no particular reason, it’s frequently because your air conditioner needs tuning or repairs. High utility bills can be caused by relatively minor issues, such as forgetting to clean out a filter and the power needed for your system to function with reduced air intake causing problems. However, it can be more serious issues, as well. Either way, you’ll want to get it fixed to spare you the utility bills and the bigger repairs that might follow if things continue as they are.
Unit Starts & Stops Constantly
An air conditioner is designed to run constantly on very hot days as starting up uses substantially more electricity than simply running. If your unit starts and stops constantly, it’s either the wrong size for your home or has some new problem developing either in the unit or your thermostat. Get it fixed, or you’ll see the impact on your utility bills.
Unreliable Thermostat
Thermostat problems can be an issue with the thermostat itself or with components in your air conditioner. If you can’t reliably get your air conditioner to turn on or off according to your thermostat’s settings, don’t ignore the problem. Get it fixed ASAP!
Call Robin Aire for AC Repair Services
If one or more of these signs sounds familiar, it may be time to reach out to an HVAC expert to get professional assistance. Starting with a visit for maintenance and inspection can be a good idea if you haven’t had annual maintenance yet, as any major problems will be identified and any minor ones resolved in the process of such a tune-up.
If you’d like to learn more about maintenance visits or need to request repairs for your AC in Southeast Michigan, reach out to Robin Aire Service Company at (800) 361-0888 !