We’re nearing the peak of summer, although for us does summer ever really end? That said, our air conditioners go through a lot of work each and every year. This means they accumulate wear and tear faster than cooling systems in other parts of the country, and potentially require more repairs too.
To avoid this, we encourage you to schedule maintenance at least once a year for your AC system. During this tune-up our professionals will fully inspect, clean, and adjust your air conditioner to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible. With or without maintenance, however, if your air conditioner makes noises you don’t recognize, it’s time to call in a professional HVAC repair professional. What noises are we referring to, exactly?
Hissing Or Gurgling
This is the sound of refrigerant leaving your system either in gas form or liquid form.
“But wait,” you may wonder, “doesn’t this occur naturally anyway?”
Nope! It’s actually pretty common misconception though–that refrigerant depletes from your air conditioning system like a fuel—like gasoline does from a car. On the contrary, your air conditioner is filled (charged) with enough refrigerant to last its entire lifespan upon manufacturing. If refrigerant does leave your system, it means you have a leak.
This leak must be located and repaired before your air conditioner is recharged with more refrigerant. But amateurs or even unscrupulous HVAC “professionals” may lead you to believe the misconception we just mentioned so they can charge you more each year to “fix” your air conditioner.
Grinding
This is usually indicative of a problem with the air handler motor of your air conditioner. The air handler is the device in your AC system that’s actually responsible for circulating air throughout the living space while in operation. The motor goes under a lot of strain as your air conditioner runs. To help keep it running smoothly, there are a number of oiled bearings to help it do its job.
Eventually, as part of natural wear and tear, these bearing wear down and the friction on the air handler motor increases. This can cause the motor to emit a grinding noise while the system is running. If you hear this noise, give us a call! We’ll need to replace the bearings before your cooling system overheats. This is a far less expensive fix than dealing with a burnt-out air conditioner later on.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling is when an HVAC system cycles on and off in rapid succession, rather than going through longer, more regular cycles. This can happen for one of two reasons. The first reason is that your air conditioner is too big for your home to begin with. Of course, if this was the case then you would have noticed short-cycling immediately after the system was installed.
The second reason is due to an electrical issue within your air conditioner. Unfortunately, short-cycling is both the symptom of a problem and the cause of further problems—leading to faster wear and tear and strain on system components. This is definitely something you want to have professionally managed ASAP.
For expert St. Augustine, FL air conditioning service, contact Climate Masters today! Serving St. John’s County since 1988 with quality, hometown service.
