Early Signs That Your Air Conditioner Is Struggling
All too often, homeowners have to call the HVAC contractor because their air conditioner isn't turning on and it's swelteringly hot outside. In a perfect world, you would never have to do this. But how can you make sure of that? One approach is to watch your air conditioner for these earlier signs that it is starting to struggle. Call your HVAC contractor when you notice these signs, and you can often prevent the unit from failing completely.
Louder Noises
Has your air conditioner become louder over time? It might be making the same general noise, but that noise has grown louder. Or, you might notice that there's a little more grinding and clunking in the background. These are usually signs that the blower motor is experiencing some struggles such as worn ball bearings or a torn belt. If you call an HVAC contractor and have them look over the blower, they can identify and fix what's wrong before your blower motor fails completely.
Short Cycles
An air conditioner should turn on and run for a while before turning off again. And you really only should notice it kicking on a few times per hour, at most. If your air conditioner is only blowing out cold air for a few minutes at a time, or if it is turning on and off many times per hour, that's not a good sign. This behavior is known as short cycling. It can be caused by the blower motor overheating, a bad connection with the thermostat, or a number of other problems. Luckily, most of these problems are fixable.
Uneven Cooling
Maybe some rooms in your home are still getting cool, but others are not as cool as you'd like them to be. Don't ignore this issue just because the AC is still blowing out cold air. There could be an obstruction in the ducts. Or, there could be a problem with your AC unit that is causing it to be underpowered. Over time, fewer and fewer of your rooms will be adequately cooled. It's best to have an AC contractor come to fix things before it gets to this point.
If you notice any of these early signs that your air conditioner is struggling, then you should call an HVAC contractor. It is better for you to address the problem before you're left without cooling on a really hot day, and an HVAC contractor can help with that.
For more information, contact a local air conditioning contractor.
