The official end of summer may be just a few weeks away, however, if you’ve lived here for even just a year, then you know how the heat and humidity can linger. Therefore, if something is wrong with your air conditioner, then you want Hendersonville, TN air conditioning repair now, not later.
Given how hard AC systems have to work during this stretch of the year, it should come as no surprise that right about now is when HVAC technicians get a lot of emergency repair calls. Hopefully, you had annual maintenance done at the beginning of summer to prevent the costliest of repairs, but issues can still crop up. And one of the most common repair needs we get calls for is a loss of cooling power.
But why does this happen? Does it just mean your air conditioner is old and needs to be replaced? Well, maybe, but probably not! Below are a few reasons an otherwise healthy air conditioner might have a loss of cooling power.
Leaking Refrigerant
There’s a fairly common misconception amongst homeowners. This misconception has been spread by either inexperienced or misinformed “do-it-yourselfers” or handymen and women—and that’s the myth that refrigerant is something that dissipates like gasoline from a car, and needs refilling (recharging) at least once a year.
The truth is, upon installation, your air conditioner is supplied with enough refrigerant to ideally last its entire lifespan. So if your system is losing refrigerant, then it means you have a leak. Unfortunately, this can lead not only to a loss in cooling power, but significant damage to your air conditioner.
A refrigerant leak can make itself known through cooling loss, but also through a hissing or bubbling sound, which indicates refrigerant actually leaving the system as your air conditioner runs. Be sure to call a pro if you hear this.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling is the name given to the process where your air conditioning system shuts itself on and off every few minutes. This typically happens because the system is too large for the home in which it was installed. If your system is brand new and immediately starts experiencing this, then this is the case.
However, there are other reasons that short-cycling might occur. For example, there might be an electrical short between the thermostat and the air conditioner, causing the system to receive the wrong signals.
Short-cycling can also happen due to a problem with the compressor, which is responsible, in part, for the operating rhythm of your air conditioner. If short-cycling continues over a prolonged period of time, your AC system will wear down faster than it otherwise would have, quite possibly leading you to premature system replacement.
Air Handler Problems
If your AC system simply is not circulating enough air, then the issue is most likely with your air handler. This is the component of your air conditioner responsible for circulating conditioned air throughout your living space. It’s comprised of a large motor with a fan attached to it. The movement of that much air creates stress for the air handler, which can cause subsequent problems.