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Serving the South Puget Sound and Western Washington Areas Since 1976

Serving the South Puget Sound and Southwest Washington Areas Since 1976

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Sunset Air Blog

Problems That Can Wreck Your Air Conditioner

Almost all air conditioner problems are progressive, which means that they get worse as time goes on. Obviously, this means that as soon as you notice a potential problem with your air conditioner, you should call for repairs. However, there are some problems that require immediate attention before they cause a total system breakdown. Let’s take a look at some of those problems now.

Short-Cycling

Short-cycling is the name for a behavior in which your air conditioning system turns itself on and off every couple of minutes. This happens when your air conditioner becomes locked into the startup section of its cycle. It can be caused by a number of factors, including a malfunctioning thermostat or a damaged compressor. What is important to remember, however, is that short-cycling dramatically increases the chance of a breakdown and shortens the life of the air conditioner. This definitely qualifies as a problem that needs immediate attention.

Refrigerant Leaking

Your air conditioner is meant to use the same refrigerant throughout its lifetime that it had when it was first installed. That means that any drop in refrigerant levels will cause major problems with the air conditioning system. If there is a leak in the refrigerant line, the air conditioner will experience a steady drop in efficiency until it breaks down completely. If you notice liquid leaking from your air conditioner, call for repairs immediately.

Air Handler Bearings

Your air conditioner air handler is outfitted with a series of lubricated bearings, which reduce friction on the motor during operation. If these bearings start to wear out, they will produce a grinding sound as the friction on the air handler motor increases. If not fixed, the bearings will eventually fail completely and the motor will burn itself out.

If you think you may have an air conditioning emergency, call Sunset Air. We serve the entire Olympia, WA area.

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