5 WAYS TO TELL IF YOU NEED AC MAINTENANCE DURING THE END OF SUMMER
While we often think of August as the “end of summer” as kids are going back to school, it’s usually one of the warmest months of the year. The average high temperature in St Louis during August is 88 degrees. Twice since 2016 has St Louis experienced even higher averages than that. During the midpoint of summer, your AC unit has been working at a high rate for the past couple of months. There isn’t a better time to make sure everything is working properly. Nobody wants to be stuck without AC during the hottest time of the year. Here are some common issues that you can run into after your air conditioning unit has been running consistently throughout a warm summer:
Failing Capacitors
This is a common issue during late summer. Inside of your AC unit are capacitors that send electricity to the air conditioner’s motors. When they begin to fail, your AC unit will struggle to provide enough energy to keep the motor working properly. Motor failure can result in your air conditioner not working. Trained AC technicians can usually spot and fix this problem easily.
Motors Issues
The summer can be strenuous on your AC’s fan motors. It is common for these motors to experience wear and tear as they are constantly running. Oftentimes, the fan motor can be the first thing to start experiencing issues. This is more common in older AC units. If the fan motor stops working, then your house stops getting cooled. If you notice strange sounds coming from your AC unit or less and less cool air being pushed throughout your home, it would be smart to have the motors checked out by an HVAC technician.
Low Refrigerant
Refrigerant leaks are not uncommon. A leak can lead to increased energy bills and poor performance from your air conditioner. Leaks can also cause damage to the compressor of the machine. Low refrigerant can cause the evaporator coils inside of your AC unit to freeze, which puts a large strain on the unit as a whole. It makes the machine work much harder than it needs to and can cause serious damage that may not be repairable. Luckily, proper AC maintenance can minimize the likelihood of a leak occurring.
Frozen or Unclean Coils
It’s easy to think the coils of your air conditioner can’t freeze during the hottest months of the year, but it’s simply untrue. AC units don’t just cool the home, but they also dehumidify the air. By doing so, air moisture can create condensation build on the evaporator coils. Frozen evaporator coils are typically caused by airflow or refrigerant issues. These could be dirty or clogged air filters, or a refrigerant or duct leak. If you notice frost build-up or a frozen AC unit, call a trained HVAC technician to come to perform AC maintenance and make sure no serious damage is done to the air conditioner.
Dirty or Clogged Air Filters
Odds are, your air conditioner is going to run all summer long, or at least a large majority of it. After constantly pushing air through an air filter, at some point, the filter is going to get dirty or clogged with debris. It is usually easy to tell when there is an issue with your air filter, as the airflow throughout your home decreases and isn’t as strong as normal. We have so many things going on in our lives that it can be really easy to overlook or forget about cleaning our air filters. Our air filters should be cleaned regularly to ensure peak performance from our AC units and for clean air quality in our home. Our recommendation is to change the air filter monthly and write on the filter the date when it is changed so it is easy to track when you last replaced your air filter.
Different air conditioner brands and models all rely on the same basic technology to help cool your home. Over time these basic components can malfunction and require repairs. For example, the compressor is an important part that is responsible for the exchange of heat that removes heat from the air and regulates pressure in the AC unit. Compressor problems can be caused by dirty coils, poor lubrication, and low refrigerant levels.
Fortunately, all of these causes of compressor problems can be addressed during a regular maintenance visit. Even something as simple as a dirty air filter can cause your central air conditioning to operate poorly. However, it can be easy and affordable to prevent larger, more expensive problems.
Dirty Air Filter
Clean Air Filter
AC Maintenance At Superior Heating And Cooling
If your energy bill is higher than usual, your AC unit isn’t running at peak performance, or you are looking for preventative maintenance to save yourself a lot of money in the future, Superior Heating and Cooling is here to help.
Right now, Superior is offering an $85 AC maintenance special! For more information call our office or fill out the online form.
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