The warm weather is here… and it’s only going to get hotter during the next few months. To make sure that the AC that keeps your household cool through the spring and summer continues to do its job, it’s important that you watch for any signs that it is malfunctioning or starting to lose energy efficiency. (If you haven’t scheduled the air conditioner’s regular maintenance inspection and tune-up yet, now is a great time to have this done.)
Purl's Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning Repair’
Dirty Air Conditioning Coils—And Why You Need Professionals to Fix Them
Tuesday, May 17th, 2016What Causes Refrigerant Leaks in an Air Conditioning System?
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015One of the more common repair problems that an air conditioning system might encounter is refrigerant leaks. The refrigerant in an AC, as we’ve discussed before, does not dissipate during operation. The air conditioner should use the same amount of refrigerant (referred to as its charge) for its entire service life. The exception is when leaks start. When an air conditioning system loses refrigerant through leaks, it will result in frozen coils, a drop in cooling power, and possibly a burnt-out compressor.
Why Is My Air Conditioning System Running Constantly?
Monday, July 20th, 2015When your home’s air conditioning system won’t turn on, you know you have a problem. But the opposite condition can also occur: an air conditioning system that keeps running continuously no matter how you adjust the thermostat. Why does this happen? We’ll take a closer look at some of the reasons and what you should do about it.
What Capacitors Do in an Air Conditioning System
Monday, June 29th, 2015The modern air conditioning system is a complex piece of refrigeration equipment. It relies on numerous precision parts in order to operate correctly. One of the key components inside an AC is the capacitor, which forms part of the electrical system that provides power to the air conditioner. Each AC contains a number of capacitors that serve various motors. At times, capacitors may fail and require an HVAC technician to replace them in order to restore the system to full operation.
3 Reasons Your Air Conditioner Isn’t Getting Your Home as Cool as It Used To
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015It’s summer here in Fresno, CA, and that means air conditioning systems all across the city are working to keep homes pleasantly cooled down. But have you noticed that your house no longer feels as cool as it should? Have you discovered hot spots in some of the rooms? Do you need to keep the AC running longer and longer in order to reach the right comfort level during a hot day? Then there is probably a malfunction in your HVAC system that is impairing your air conditioner’s ability to work properly. The best course is to call an experienced HVAC technician to come to your home, discover what is wrong with the air conditioner, and repair it.
3 Reasons Why Your Air Conditioning Is Short-Cycling
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015The term short-cycling refers to when the compressor of an air conditioning system turns on and off rapidly, never getting a chance to complete its full cooling cycle. A short-cycling air conditioner is a serious problem for a number of reasons: The extra stress placed on the components will lead to multiple repair needs. The strain can cause the compressor to break down, which often requires that the whole system be replaced. And because air conditioners draw the most power when the compressor starts up, a short-cycling AC will create a large increase in electrical bills.
An Oversized Air Conditioner: Why This Is a Problem
Tuesday, May 26th, 2015When you need a central air conditioning system installed, whether for a new home or to replace an older system, you must call professionals to handle the work. This is not only to ensure that the new air conditioning system is put in correctly so that it works at maximum efficiency and effectiveness. It is also to make sure that the right system is put in. An error in sizing a central air conditioner (i.e. determining how powerful an AC is necessary for a specific home) will lead to multiple problems for both comfort and energy efficiency. In most cases, an improperly sized air conditioning system must be replaced.
What the Condensing Unit Does in a Central Air Conditioning System
Monday, May 18th, 2015The standard central air conditioning system found in homes is a split system: it consists of two units housed in different locations that are connected through power and refrigerant lines. The indoor unit contains the evaporator coil and the air handler that sends cooled air into the ductwork and then to the rooms. The outdoor unit is called the condenser.
3 Air Conditioning Problems You May Encounter This Summer
Friday, June 20th, 2014One of the last things you want to happen during a hot summer day in the Central Valley is for your air conditioner to shut down. Emergency service will get to you as soon as possible, but that still means a few uncomfortable hours without cooling. The best way to avoid this problem is to make sure that your AC receives its regular maintenance and that you call for repairs for smaller issues the moment you detect them.
Here are three air conditioning issues you may encounter during the summer that must be looked at and fixed right away before they grow worse and jeopardize your home’s cooling. Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning is on-call 7 days a week to handle your requirements for air conditioning repair in Fresno, CA. You can trust in our over 60 years of experience for whatever work you need done.
Take care of these 3 air conditioning problems right away
- Hard starting: This describes when your AC has difficulty coming on or switching into cooling mode. You’ll hear the system stutter and struggle to turn on, and often shut down soon afterwards. This is often because of trouble with the motors or the capacitors. If this continues, it can cause severe damage to the compressor, and it will place stress on other components and drain excess power. Technicians can replace the parts causing the hard starting or install a “hard-start kit” to overcome the issue.
- Icing along the coil: Your air conditioner blows out cold air, but it should never develop ice anywhere on it. If you notice ice growing along the indoor coil of your AC, you have a serious problem somewhere in the system. It could be a clogged air filter, a loss of refrigerant, or a build-up of grime along the coil. You can’t solve this problem by scraping the ice off the coil (and you might damage the coil in the process): call for professional repairs.
- Fan damage: The outdoor fan can sometimes sustain damage from debris entering the cabinet. (Make sure to keep the area around the condenser clear for at least a foot to reduce the chance of this occurring.) If the fan blades become bent because of debris, they will start to strike the fan casing, causing additional damage. When you hear any sort of loud striking sound from the condenser, call for repairs right away.
If you haven’t had a maintenance visit for your air conditioner yet this year, make sure you take care of that as soon as you can. Call Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning to sign up for our Ultimate Savings Agreement, which will deliver you two tune-ups a year and provide you with preferred customer status and discounts on repairs and upgrades. Maintenance will help keep your needs for air conditioning repair in Fresno, CA to a minimum.
What Happens When Your AC Condenser Needs Repairs
Thursday, June 12th, 2014The AC condenser array is the component that starts the air conditioning cycle: applying heat and pressure to the refrigerant gas before releasing it into the compression coils where it reverts to a liquid state. (The evaporator coils return it to a gaseous state, which cools the nearby air and completes the air conditioning process.) When your AC condenser runs into problems, it can cut off power to your entire system, as well as reducing its cooling potential and similar dire issues. Here in Fresno, air conditioning repair companies can usually correct the issue with due speed.
Here’s A Brief Outline of What Happens When Your AC Condenser Needs Repairs
In some cases, the problem is electrical in nature. Either the circuits and wires providing power to the motor have gone bad or some component in the condenser motor itself has been damaged. In these cases, the air conditioner won’t start up at all. This is a valuable safety feature since it prevents further damage to the unit. However, you’ll have to get the electrical problem fixed before you can run the system again.
Another problem can occur if the condenser becomes excessively dirty, or the vent to the condenser unit is blocked. In some cases, this will result in the condenser working inefficiently. The AC unit won’t cool the air properly, and your system will have to work much harder in order to do its job. Alternately, the dirty condenser may result in rapid cycling, or turning the unit on and off very rapidly. Air conditioners use far more energy turning on and off than they do just running, so the conditioning needs to be addressed quickly.
Regardless of what happens when your AC condenser needs repairs, you’ll probably notice the effect fairly readily. When you do, you need to contract the professionals at Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning. Air conditioning systems need to perform at their peak during the hot summer months. We have the skills and experience to handle most any problem, so give us a call today to schedule air conditioning repair service in the Fresno area. You’ll be glad you did!