What Are the Top Five AC Issues As the Weather Gets Warmer?

Do Not Display

Air-conditioning systems work overtime during the cooling season, making them more vulnerable to problems. Many of these problems are preventable with proper care. Here's a closer look at some of the most common summer AC issues.

Dirty Filters

A clogged filter can cause a variety of problems, such as airflow issues and inadequate cooling. It's a significant impediment to AC efficiency. You can avoid the AC issues that result from a clogged filter by checking your filter at least once a month and replacing it if it's dirty.

Refrigerant Leaks

This is one of the most common summer AC issues. The refrigerant in your air conditioner sucks up heat from your home and expels it outside to cool your indoor air. If you have a refrigerant leak, your air conditioner can't work efficiently and won't adequately keep your house cool and comfortable. Refrigerant leaks get bigger over time if you leave them unrepaired, so it's crucial to call in a professional if you suspect a leak has occurred.

Clogged Drains

Your air conditioner also dehumidifies the air as it cools it. The water from your home's air is removed through the condensation drain. Dirt and sludge can clog the condensation drain, leading to water backup and leaks. You should call an HVAC technician for service if you see water in or below your indoor HVAC equipment.

Constantly Turning On and Off

A system turning on and off constantly, also referred to as short cycling, is a problem that could damage AC parts like the compressor. A clogged air filter, electrical issues, dirty AC coils, or a unit that's too small could be the reason behind the issue. An HVAC professional will diagnose the problem and fix any damaged components.

Inadequate Cooling

If a new system isn't cooling your home adequately, the system's capacity may be inadequate for the size of your house. However, if the problem occurs after several years or months, it could be caused by an issue like a refrigerant leak or a damaged AC component. You'll need to contact a professional to check the system.

You can prevent most of these problems through proper AC care, such as scheduling annual maintenance and changing your filters regularly. If you need help with AC issues in the Broken Arrow area, contact Air Assurance.

How to Prevent Your AC Freezing Up in Summer

An HVAC freezing up in summer is a unit that needs prompt attention. While air conditioners are supposed to produce cold air, ice formation is definitely not part of this process. No component in a properly functioning central AC should generate temperatures that drop below freezing. 

Most everything about an HVAC freezing up in summer is bad news:

• First, a frozen air conditioner will not produce cool comfort anymore. Often, the unit may shut down entirely. Because freeze-ups often happen when outdoor temperatures are excessively high, this can mean very uncomfortable living conditions until the problem is resolved.

• Ice forming inside indoor evaporator coil passages gradually obstructs system airflow. This, in turn, causes the system to run longer cycles. As airflow becomes increasingly obstructed, the system runs nearly nonstop. By that time, severe, permanent damage to the compressor — the most costly component in a typical central AC — may have occurred.

What Causes AC Freeze-Ups?

• Low system airflow. When airflow through the indoor evaporator coil drops below specifications, the temperature of refrigerant circulating through the coil may plunge below freezing. Condensation naturally forming on the coil then freezes, eventually obstructing the coil. The best insurance to support optimum HVAC airflow is replacing the system air filter every month all summer long. This is an effective, affordable measure to help avoid an HVAC freezing up in summer.

• Refrigerant leaks. When the AC refrigerant charge drops too low, coil icing is a common early symptom. Air conditioners don’t consume refrigerant, so if the amount circulating through the system is insufficient, that usually indicates a leak somewhere. A qualified HVAC technician has the equipment to track down and repair these small refrigerant leaks. Then, the system's refrigerant charge can be restored to proper specifications.

If your HVAC freezing up in summer threatens your indoor comfort, ask the cooling professionals at Air Assurance about qualified HVAC service to resolve the problem. 

Refrigerant 101: What it is and Why it Matters

You don’t need a course in Refrigerant 101 to know whether your air conditioner’s keeping the house cool on a summer day. Without refrigerant circulating in the cooling system, we’d all be a lot less comfortable in hot weather. Here are more basics of Refrigerant 101 and how this remarkable substance handles the household cooling load.

The Cycle Of Coolness

In your central air conditioner, refrigerant passing through the indoor evaporator coil is a frigid vapor that efficiently absorbs household heat from the system airflow. After passing through an insulated line to your outdoor condenser unit, refrigerant is compressed into a hot liquid and rapidly releases absorbed heat into the air as it passes through the condenser coil. The refrigerant flow then circles back to the indoor evaporator, converting to a cold vapor again to extract still more heat from your home.

Low Refrigerant Means A Leak

Air conditioners don’t “use up” refrigerant. Theoretically, as long as the system is intact and functional, it should not require addition of extra refrigerant. If your A/C exhibits signs of a low refrigerant charge—such as poor cooling performance, ice formation on the indoor coil or rapid on/off cycling—there’s usually a leak somewhere in the system. Simply adding more refrigerant without resolving the leak isn't a solution that lasts. Call for professional HVAC service to pinpoint the problem, repair the leak, then restore the refrigerant to the proper level.

Old Refrigerant Is Going Away

R-22 refrigerant, the industry standard in air conditioners for decades, is being removed from the market due to environmental concerns. It will become completely unavailable in 2020. All new A/C units manufactured today utilize R-410A refrigerant, the environmentally-friendly replacement for R-22. As 2020 approaches, expect R-22 to become increasingly less available and more expensive. Ultimately, all R-22 units will have to be replaced with new R-410 units by 2020.

To learn more about the basics of Refrigerant 101, contact the cooling experts at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

A Refrigerant Charge Can Give a Boost to a Warm A/C

Summer is upon us in Broken Arrow, and the air conditioner is something that everyone expects to work as well as last year. However, many homeowners are unaware that they should be checking their refrigerant charge to ensure effective and efficient cooling throughout the hottest part of the year. In a perfect world, your air conditioner would dutifully perform its job until the end of its warranty, but in reality, preventive maintenance is necessary to keep it cooling as it should.

Reasons to Check Refrigerant Charge

An air conditioner is a complex system of copper tubing, compressor and an evaporator coil that should be sealed to keep refrigerant inside. However, minor refrigerant leaks can occur that are not quite bad enough to purge the system of coolant completely. These leaks can cause enough of a leak that your A/C unit has a hard time keeping up with cooling needs in the dead of summer. If this happens, you will need to have your refrigerant charge topped off. Common causes for leaks include:

• Faulty parts

• Worn connectors

• Corrosion eating through components

• Vibrations causing holes in copper line

Schedule a Service Call

Whether you notice your A/C unit struggling to keep up with your annual cooling needs or not, it is a good idea to have a certified technician come out and check your refrigerant charge. Not only will this keep your unit running as efficiently as it should, it may also warn you of any impending problems you may have. Large leaks have to be fixed, and it is much better to discover them before the heat makes waiting on a service call miserable. Setting some time aside to make the call to your local service center to have a technician come out is a small investment considering the benefits of a properly tuned air conditioner.

Keeping your A/C functioning takes active involvement, and if you need expert advice or maintenance, please contact us at Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning, Plumbing. We have been industry leaders in the Broken Arrow region for nearly three decades.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Chatchawan/Shutterstock”