Air Conditioning Repair

Your air conditioning system works better and lasts longer when you give it regular maintenance. The best way to maintain your AC is to have it professionally serviced at least once a year, and this should ideally happen before the system enters its intensive "on" period. During a professional service visit, a technician sees to a number of crucial tasks. These include cleaning the system, checking the refrigerant levels, inspecting all of the electrical work, and generally making sure that nothing is going to break before it has a chance to bcome a summer "emergency" issue.

Your air conditioner may need the attention of a pro if you notice any of these signs. Of course, "need" is a bit of a squishy term, but in this context, I'm talking mainly about the fix-it kind of work that you or I aren't likely to do ourselves. Noise is a key indicator here—unusual ones, to be precise. Most of us know the basic sounds an AC makes. A steady hum is one of them. But when the system is doing its job, it's not the only sound you ought to hear. Some other, ahem, sounds might suggest something else is going on inside the unit.

An air conditioning system that is well taken care of tends to last. It lives a full life, if you will, and that life is typically around 10 to 15 years. Still, some might live and some might die in this same time frame, and let's be clear: most deaths are premature and the result of poor maintenance and shallow living. Even up until this point in our story, the lives of some units have varied. Like some 750,000 units in the field, the Goodman unit lives here in Houston, which is bad by any number of metrics for an HVAC unit that wants to not be defenestrated or recycled. A unit that lives under such duress is a candidate not just for dying young but for overheating, something it did on June 24 when it raised the thermostat temperature by 8 degrees.

Several problems can cause ice to form on an air conditioning unit, such as low refrigerant levels, poor airflow, or faulty parts. One of the most common culprits is a dirty air filter, which can restrict airflow enough to cause the evaporator coil to freeze—much as it would if the air conditioner were running on a very hot day. Leaking refrigerant can do something similar, but it's not a refrigerant problem if the system is still maintaining proper air temperatures. Air conditioning units with ice buildup need professional help to get to the root of the problem and fix it.

Start by changing or cleaning the air conditioner filter every 1 to 3 months. Next, make sure that the insulating material in your home is in good condition and that it is applied properly. The air in your home should not be escaping through any cracks around windows or doors, because the air that should be in your home is not under pressure and is right next to your home. The air that is supposed to be in your home's ductwork is under a different kind of pressure. It is not fighting against the pressure coming from your homes cracks, because that should be for air that is in your home. Finally, have the ductwork inspected.

Bizarre sounds emanating from an air conditioning unit can signify several mechanical issues that necessitate professional repair. If you're hearing a loud "bang" or "clang," for instance, that's often a sign that some part of the A/C is either very loose or very broken—most likely something within the compressor. Other sounds, like a high-pitched "squeal," might indicate that the unit's motor is on the verge of failure or that some belt or bearing is about to break. A buzzing or humming noise could mean that the A/C is about to "short" or that some electrical component is already failing. After basic troubleshooting, a professional is your best bet for diagnosing a bizarre noise's exact source and for preventing untimely and potentially catastrophic A/C failure.

Most air conditioning repairs need an expert's touch, even if some of the simpler fixes could be handled by a skilled homeowner. Attempting complex repairs without proper training can lead to further damage, void warranties, and potentially create safety hazards. Diagnosing and repairing A/C units accurately and efficiently takes the right tools and a good amount of experience. The amount of hands-on working knowledge that the average HVAC technician has could not be gained in any other way. The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies states that "most"Unfortunately, if you're thinking of trying your hand at air conditioning repair to save a little money, the prospects don't look good.

Air conditioning repair can be expensive, but how much should you expect to pay? It depends. If your AC is throwing some truly minor tantrums, it might cost anywhere from $100 to $500 to get it back to blowing ice. But if the unit has some sort of serious and potentially fatal problem, it might set you back anywhere from $500 to $1,500, with the national average repair cost of about $700. The main things that affect repair cost are how old your unit is, how extensive the repairs are, and which parts got hit the hardest and need replacing.

Fixing particular problems within an air conditioning system means conducting repairs, whereas replacement signifies putting in an entirely new air conditioning unit. Repairs tend to be much more cost-effective, particularly when an A/C system is fairly new or when it has developed just one minor and isolated issue. When it comes to cost, replacement sinks a homeowner way down into the hole.