If you hear a whine or whistle coming from your vents, it may be time to seek professional assistance. An airflow restriction could signal dirty or blocked ducts, an AC that’s too powerful for your home, or a refrigerant leak as potential culprits.
Troubleshooting some common problems at home may help alleviate them; here are a few.
Also read: Is Freon covered under AC Warranty?
1. Dirty Air Filter
Air conditioning filters play a critical role in maintaining healthy indoor air quality in Fort Pierce homes, yet they may allow foreign particles into your ductwork and into your living spaces, leading to health and other issues in Fort Pierce homes. This can cause several issues including:
- Dirty air filters force your system to work harder: Air conditioners are designed to recirculate filtered air throughout your home using blower fans; when these fans encounter an obstruction due to a dirty filter, blowers work even harder in pushing air through ductwork and increasing energy costs as they push harder through each layer of your ductwork. A dirty filter adds extra stress for these blowers which takes its toll on both unit performance and your energy costs.
- Dirty Air Filters Can Lead to an Evaporator Coil Freezing: Failing to keep up with regular filter cleaning can cause dust and debris buildup on your evaporator coil, leading to it freezing over and preventing air from flowing freely throughout your home and leaving cold spots and hotspots throughout.
- Dirty air filters may promote mold and mildew growth: When your air filter becomes dirty, harmful bacteria can enter your home’s ductwork and proliferate throughout it, potentially impacting health issues in your family and contributing to respiratory disorders. This could put everyone’s health at risk.
As part of your ongoing maintenance routine, having your filters regularly serviced can help avoid these problems. In order to clean them effectively, a hose attachment, vacuum cleaner, rubber gloves and stepping stool or ladder may be needed in order to reach it. Once removed from its housing, shake your filter to drain off excess water before leaving it to dry naturally.
2. Clogged Drain
If your AC seems to turn on, but doesn’t cool properly, clogged drain lines could be to blame. Clogs can cause your system to overheat, leading to premature wear on components like compressors, evaporator coils and air filters as well as producing musty smells in your home.
This issue is easier than you might imagine to address. First, check for holes or leaks in your ductwork – an easy way is by placing your hand near the joints and feeling for airflow – tape may provide temporary solutions, while air duct sealant offers long-term solutions.
Condensate pan clogs may also be to blame; this is where water from your air conditioner collects before draining out to drain outside and could become blocked with mold or mildew, rendering your AC inoperable if too full of it is collected in there.
Baking soda and vinegar is the ideal combination for unclogging a drain, breaking up mildew, slime, soap scum, etc. and moving it down the pipe. For stubborn clogs that won’t go away on its own, try using plastic drain cleaning tools or plumbing snakes; or call in professional help who use auger-type devices that locate and break apart clogs with drill-like action.
3. Faulty Thermostat
The thermostat is an essential piece of equipment, yet can become defective for various reasons. While most issues with thermostats can be quickly remedied, sometimes you encounter one which prevents your system from operating as intended.
If your thermostat is acting up, changing its batteries may be the easiest and cheapest solution. Also worth doing: Tape another thermometer onto the wall where your thermostat resides to see if there are discrepancies between its readings and yours; large variations could indicate that recalibration may be required for optimal functioning of the thermostat.
If your system won’t turn on, it may be worth visiting your breaker box and checking the thermostat circuit breaker. It may have tripped or been removed altogether – flipping it back on could be all it takes to kickstart it again!
Loose connections, dirty mechanisms, and weak batteries can impede your thermostat’s ability to communicate with the HVAC system effectively, so it is wise to regularly clean them thoroughly. If this task seems beyond your capabilities, calling in professional help might be worthwhile; an experienced tech will likely quickly identify where there may be issues.
4. Electrical Issues
If your air conditioner keeps stopping and starting, tripping its circuit breaker, or shutting down completely, these could be signs of electrical issues. An experienced professional should be brought in who understands complex wiring systems to properly diagnose the issue without risk of further damage or injury to yourself or the system.
Your AC unit’s electrical components consist of many intricate wires that may become compromised due to corrosion, disconnection or fraying over time. Over time this can impair electricity flow into the system and lead to functional or performance issues; fortunately, however, these problems are usually simple to solve once you know where to look for solutions.
As a starting point, it’s usually easiest to check your breaker box. If the circuit breaker dedicated to your air conditioning is consistently tripping off and on, this could indicate overworked systems. Resetting it by pushing off then back on may help. Alternatively, open up the disconnect box (this requires gloves!) and look in its panel for any signs of fuse blowouts; remove one and replace with new one; otherwise consult a professional as this could indicate more serious internal problems.