As most machines age, their efficiency reduces. An air conditioner is no different. Here are five signs that can indicate decreased AC efficiency in Niles, IL.
1. Your AC is Unable to Cool Your Home
This is one of the most common and obvious signs. Your house may remain hot and uncomfortable, yet the air conditioner is running. Some of the issues that may contribute to this include a dirty condenser unit, a clogged air filter, refrigerant leaks, or an incorrectly sized air conditioner.
The condenser unit releases heat absorbed from your living space to the environment. When dust and debris clog its parts, it can’t eliminate heat from your house efficiently, resulting in an uncomfortable indoor environment.
A dirty air filter won’t allow air from your house to enter your air conditioner for cooling. Refrigerant leaks reduce the air conditioner’s ability to move heat from your living space to the environment. An undersized air conditioner’s capabilities can’t satisfy your home’s cooling needs, while an oversized one short cycles often, thus failing to regulate your indoor temperatures efficiently.
Some solutions that can take care of an air conditioner that does not cool your house include scheduling regular maintenance visits to keep your system’s parts clean and replacing your air filter often. You can also consider replacing an incorrectly sized system with one that matches your home’s temperature regulation needs.
2. Unusual Smells
Unpleasant smells in your house can be very irritating, and that’s why AC manufacturers designed the systems to operate without emitting any foul odor. Therefore, if your unit produces unusual smells, all is not well.
Some unusual odors you may encounter include smoke, exhaust fumes, or musty smells. A burning smell may be due to an overheated motor or frayed wiring.
When your AC’s fluids leak and come in contact with the warmer parts of your system, you may get the exhaust fumes odor. If your AC’s drain lines are not draining moisture efficiently, biological contaminants may grow on the drain pan. Biological contaminants produce a musty smell.
Consider seeking the services of a professional technician when you detect weird odors. The technician will accurately identify the issues causing the unpleasant smells.
3. Strange Sounds
Unusual AC sounds indicate there’s an underlying issue that you shouldn’t ignore. You may encounter banging, hissing, gurgling, buzzing, rattling, clicking, and screeching noises.
A loose part will cause banging noises as it hits other moving parts, such as the fan blades. Hissing and gurgling occur when your refrigerant is leaking.
Electrical issues may cause buzzing noises. Continuous clicking may be due to a malfunctioning thermostat while screeching noises occur when your system has a malfunctioning fan motor.
Ideally, you want to address unusual noises as soon as you detect them. A professional technician can repair the issues causing your system to produce weird sounds and restore it to optimum operation.
4. High Energy Bills
Whenever you notice an increase in your energy bill, consider monitoring your air conditioner to observe its electricity usage. Underlying issues can cause your AC to consume more energy than it should. These issues include refrigerant leaks, a dirty outdoor unit, a clogged air filter, or an improperly sized air conditioner.
Refrigerant leaks reduce the refrigerant available to move heat from your house to the outdoors, thus causing the system to work longer. The longer it works, the more energy it consumes.
A dirty outdoor unit and a clogged air filter cause your air conditioner to overwork. An improperly sized AC may cause your system to run constantly or short cycle. Running constantly and short cycling cause your system to consume more energy than normal.
5. Frequent Repairs
AC breakdowns aren’t unusual since the system is busy during summer. However, if your system breaks down often, something isn’t right.
Your system may break down often with age since its parts have become worn out. Consider replacing your air conditioner after every 10 to 15 years.
Our expert technicians can repair any HVAC issue and work on any type of HVAC system. Contact Besco Air Inc. Heating & Cooling for outstanding air conditioning replacement services in Niles, IL.
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