With warm weather gearing up and summer peeking over the edge of spring, it’s time to pay special attention to your home’s air conditioner. You’ve already turned it on a few times for the warmer temperatures, and if it has shown signs of operating with a malfunction, now is when you should leap on repairs to make sure your cooling system is ready for the summer heat waves.
Although any fault in an AC will grow worse without attention, some will worsen faster than others. Here are a few issues that need immediate attention from specialists in air conditioning repair in Melbourne, FL. You know where you can find them: call Next Generation Air & Heat Inc.
Grinding, groaning motors
This is a sign of trouble you can easily detect: an unpleasant mechanical sound coming from the indoor or outdoor AC cabinet. Motors can lose lubrication, develop layers of grime, or wear down from age, causing them eventually to burn out. When you can hear them making grinding noises, they are on the verge of dying completely, which will cut severely into your air conditioner’s operation and may stop cooling altogether. In most cases, the motor or motors will need replacement, and this requires a skilled technician.
Ice developing across the evaporator coil
When a layer of frost begins to encrust the indoor evaporator coil, never shrug it off as a result of the cold air coming from the unit. Icing occurring on an AC means something has reduced the amount of heat the coil can absorb: leaking refrigerant, corrosion, or grime. A repair specialist needs to look over the problem to find the appropriate remedy. (Scraping the ice off the coils will not help; the ice will come right back, and this won’t make the coil absorb heat any more effectively.)
A “hard starting” system
If the air conditioner makes clicking noises when it starts up and struggles for a few minutes to turn on, then it is “hard starting,” which usually means one of the start capacitors is close to failing. The start capacitor is a cylindrical device that sends the voltage to the motors that starts them running. Once a capacitor begins to make a clicking sound, it’s almost at failure level and will need to have a technician replace it.
Pay close attention to all signs of air conditioner malfunctions, from strange noise to temperature fluctuations. You need to have as many issues as possible fixed before summer starts. Arrange for your annual maintenance during spring as well, so an HVAC professional can locate any hidden troubles.
Next Generation Air & Heat Inc. can deliver air conditioning repair in Melbourne, FL.… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sign up for our priority savings plan to help maintain your air conditioner and save money.
