Summer is the time of year when people use their air conditioners the most, which also happens to make it the time of year when air conditioners are most likely to develop problems. All that demand puts a lot of strain on the system, causing parts to break down in many cases.
If you want to keep your air conditioner in the best possible shape, it’s a good idea to be able to detect that it’s having a problem as quickly as possible. Faster detection time means faster repairs, which is better for your system. One of the best ways to tell if your air conditioner is having issues is to listen for odd sounds coming from it.
Grinding
Your air conditioner circulates air throughout your home using an air handler, which is basically a large motor with a fan attached to it. The air handler motor contains oiled bearings, which helps to reduce friction on it during operation. The bearings wear down over years of use, causing the friction on the system to increase. Once the strain on the air handler motor reaches a certain level, it will start to make a loud grinding sound. If you hear this sound, have a professional examine your system as soon as possible. If you don’t, the air handler motor could overheat and burn out.
Hissing and Gurgling
Hissing and gurgling noises often indicate that you have air bubbles in your refrigerant line. That means that you have a leak. Refrigerant leaks slowly drop the output capacity of the air conditioner, as the refrigerant level in the system drop. Eventually, the refrigerant level of the air conditioner will drop so low that it will not be able to stay up and running. If you want to prevent your air conditioner from breaking down, it’s a good idea to call for repairs as soon as you notice hissing and gurgling noises coming from your system.
Short Cycling
If your air conditioner is turning itself on and off every couple of minutes, that’s called short cycling. Short cycling prevents your air conditioner from completing a full cooling cycle, which cuts down on its output level significantly. That’s far from the worst of it, though. Short cycling also dramatically increases the amount of wear and tear the system suffers over a short period of time.
Prolonged short cycling causes the air conditioner to wear down much faster than it normally does, causing parts to break down much more often and increasing the frequency and cost of repairs. If the problem is allowed to continue for long enough, it can shorten the lifespan of the air conditioner considerably. If you hear your air conditioner short cycling, you should turn it off and call for repairs as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may find yourself replacing your system much sooner than you normally would.
Milton Frank Plumbing & Cooling offers comprehensive air conditioner repair services in Spring, TX. If you need help with your air conditioner, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians. We’ll make sure that your air conditioner is in top condition this summer.