One important reason to get your AC tuned up before summer arrives is so you can avoid problems with your equipment that leads to a breakdown. Being without air conditioning when it's hot and humid outside is an inconvenience, and it may even be hard on your health. Here's a look at some common air conditioning repairs you might need due to a lack of annual maintenance.
1. Replace The Blower Motor
If the blower gets clogged with dust, the motor may have a hard time spinning it to move the air through your home. The motor might overheat and lead to short-cycling of your AC. This can run up your power bill and cause your house to be too warm.
Eventually, the motor can burn out and not work at all. When the motor burns out, it has to be replaced. You'll have the expense of a motor replacement and service call when it could have been avoided.
2. Deal With Ice On Coils
When the condenser or evaporator coils get grimy and dusty, they keep the refrigerant in your system from working very well. One thing that can happen is that ice forms on the coils. The ice makes it even harder for your AC to work, so your house gets warmer. When enough ice has collected, your AC will shut down.
Ice can also form when airflow is low, such as when a filter is blocked with dust. However, dirty coils are a common cause, and this problem can be prevented by having the coils cleaned once a year.
Once ice has formed, the ice has to be thawed and removed before air conditioning repairs can be done. The repair technician might only need to clean the coils, but if the strain on the system caused other parts to be damaged, then other repairs might be necessary. Frozen condenser coils strain the compressor, and the compressor is one of the most expensive parts of an air conditioner to replace.
3. Unclog The Drain Line
If the condensation drain on your AC gets clogged with lint, bugs, or algae, the water backs up and can overflow on the floor or against the air handler. Since this can cause water damage, some air conditioners have a safety switch that turns the AC off if the drain pan gets too full.
You may come home to a hot house and not be able to figure out why the air conditioner isn't working. The AC repair technician can fix this problem by clearing out the drain line and making sure the drainage system is working properly. However, you could have avoided the inconvenience with annual routine maintenance.
Share13 April 2021
While sitting in my living room on a hot summer day, I could feel the heat coming through the ceiling out of my attic and making the house warm up more than it should. I crawled up into the attic one evening to find out that the roof vents weren't working any longer because they were clogged with all sorts of debris. Did you know that when this happens, your home's temperature can rise to very uncomfortable levels? Did you know that your home could actually be damaged if the attic isn't well vented? This blog will show you all about attic ventilation.