With summer not far off, most people are going to start using their air conditioners on an almost daily basis. That’s all well and good, as long as you were careful to schedule preventive maintenance for your system beforehand. However, it still isn’t a guarantee of your system’s health as the year progresses. You should be aware of the common issues that your air conditioner can run into, and when to call for repairs. Let’s take a look at some of those issues now.
Icing Over
Though it may seem like a good thing, air conditioner ice is a sign of a problem with the system. This is typically caused by the air filter in your air conditioner becoming clogged, which cuts off the flow of warm air to the evaporator coil. The temperature around the evaporator coil will drop until the condensate on it freezes over, forming ice. An iced-over evaporator coil will be unable to siphon heat from the air in your home, causing the efficiency of the air conditioner to drop significantly. It can also spread to other systems, causing them to break down if the issue isn’t dealt with promptly.
Air Handler Failure
The air handler is the part of your air conditioner that circulates air throughout the home. The motor that operates the air handler fan is put under a lot of stress during operation, so it makes use of oiled bearings in order to reduce the friction. The bearings will wear down over time, however, and will need to be replaced. Otherwise, the friction on the air handler motor will increase until it overheats and burns out. If you hear a loud grinding noise coming from your air conditioner, it means the bearings in the air handler need to be replaced.
Sunset Air provides air conditioner repair services throughout Olympia, WA.
