While surprises happen once in a while, certain common HVAC issues do tend to come up over and over again. A qualified professional HVAC service technician learns to recognize the symptoms and quickly determine the best approach to restore full function, performance, and efficiency. Here are five of the most common HVAC issues we see and what’s required to resolve the problem.
1. Dirty filter. Low airflow is responsible for any number of issues in HVAC equipment, from poor heating or cooling performance to high operating costs to bad indoor air quality. The most common cause of low airflow is simply a dirty, clogged air filter. Change the air filter at least every other month to support maximum airflow.
2. Leaky ducts. Once a house is more than 10 years old, ductwork leaks are an increasingly common cause of low HVAC energy efficiency and substandard comfort level. A full duct inspection, including a system-pressure test, can determine the extent of leakage. Your HVAC contractor can discuss options for sealing ducts.
3. Closed vents. Sometimes occupants close the HVAC supply vent in one room or more. It's a bad idea, as one closed or obstructed vent tends to unbalance system airflow throughout the house, resulting in inconsistent temperature control. Leave all supply and return vents open in all rooms, if possible.
4. Low refrigerant. The lifeblood of your air conditioner, refrigerant circulates between the indoor evaporator coil and the outdoor condenser coil. An A/C doesn’t use up refrigerant. If symptoms of low refrigerant occur, the problem is usually a pinhole leak. Simply adding more refrigerant isn’t the answer. A qualified service tech has the specialized equipment to track down the leak, repair it, and restore the refrigerant to the proper level.
5. The system is turned off. It happens! If there’s no heating or cooling, the problem sometimes turns out to be the simple fact that the thermostat is set to “Off” instead of “Heat” or “Cool.” Always check that first, just to make sure, before making a service appointment.
For professional service to resolve these and other common HVAC issues, contact the experts at Air Assurance.