In the heat of summer in Micco, FL, homeowners may worry about a possible air conditioner breakdown. If such an event were to catch you off guard, it would create major discomfort and inconvenience, so it’s extremely important to keep your eye on your AC system. Here are five signs of an impending AC breakdown:
Weak Cooling
Progressively declining performance is perhaps the clearest indicator that a total AC breakdown may lie in your future. There are many reasons your air conditioner might start cooling your home less effectively than it did before, and nearly all of them relate to the declining functionality of the system’s parts. If you notice lagging system performance, try to prevent a breakdown by scheduling AC maintenance.
Poor Airflow
Smooth airflow is absolutely essential to virtually every aspect of how your air conditioner works. It’s so critical that, when it starts to diminish, your AC system might break down.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that all situations where airflow is poor are hopeless. For example, your system may have dirty air filters, and the debris that has gathered on them may choke off airflow. Luckily, you can avoid this if you remember to check your air filters monthly and change or clean them every 30 to 90 days.
However, debris may get into other parts of your system where it may be much more difficult to remove. In such cases, you’ll need to request professional assistance. By cleaning this debris, HVAC service technicians can restore airflow and keep your air conditioner from failing.
Bizarre Odors
An air conditioner that functions properly shouldn’t emit any odors. Bizarre smells coming from your AC system imply the presence of trouble.
A malfunctioning air conditioner can fill your home with all kinds of unusual and unpleasant odors. Each such odor points to a different problem.
For instance, a sweet and ether-like smell probably means that your AC system is leaking refrigerant, while a burning odor may suggest that there’s some kind of issue with your system’s electrical wiring. In any case, we recommend calling for help from HVAC service technicians who can examine your system and pinpoint precisely what’s wrong with it.
Strange Sounds
Just as with smells, air conditioner that are in good shape shouldn’t make any weird noises. The only sounds that are normal for an AC system are a slight hum and a temporary clicking noise. If you haven’t used your AC system in a while, the latter may occur temporarily when you start it up.
Spiking Energy Bills
Every air conditioner that can do its job even tolerably well must maintain a certain standard of efficiency. The clearest marker of your system’s general efficiency is the cost of your monthly utility bill. A rising bill means falling AC efficiency.
Also, your AC system will usually maintain high levels of efficiency when its parts retain their physical integrity and can function well together. So, when you see your system’s efficiency drop, you should at least grow suspicious that its parts may be failing.
It’s normal for efficiency to drop slowly as your air conditioner ages, but sharp and precipitous declines are especially ominous. Often, this means that your AC system may soon totally fall apart.
To keep efficiency from dropping quickly, it’s important to schedule AC maintenance for your system at least once a year. While air conditioning repairs can bring your utility bills down, if the difficulty persists, you may need to consider totally replacing your air conditioner.
Arming yourself with the knowledge we’ve provided above can save you a great deal of trouble. Our team of experienced HVAC service technicians can help you with these and other problems, keeping you comfortable year-round in Micco, FL. When you see that your AC system is hanging on by a thread, call Barker Air Conditioning and Heating to schedule repair services right away.
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