Summer is still a few months away, though mid-2015 is almost upon us. For Shreveport residents, mid-year can only mean one thing: skyrocketing temperatures. While the heat wave is fairly distant as of now, today would be a good time to have your air conditioner seen to by local Shreveport air conditioning technicians before the heat wave hits. Air conditioners, however, can fail due to various factors—some of which are explored in detail below.
Dirty air filter – An A/C unit’s air filter acts as a safety net to protect the appliance’s innards from dirt and pollutants. If the filter isn’t cleaned properly, then the flow of air into your home’s ducts will be impeded, forcing your A/C system to work harder than usual. Subsequently, the strain could prove too much for the A/C unit to handle and cause it to break down.
Refrigerant leaks – Don’t be tempted to patch up an obvious refrigerant leak by putting some more in; you end up leaving the true culprit unchecked. Refrigerant leaks are non-user serviceable—meaning that only qualified technicians who provide air conditioning repair in Shreveport, LA, like AccuTemp Cool and Heating, can patch them up. This is because leaks can be small enough to make finding the exact point of the leak extremely difficult.
Drainage issues – When humidity levels peak, an A/C unit’s condensate drain is vulnerable to clogging which can cause improper drainage. Once the water pools, this can cause a variety of problems depending on where your system is located. Improper installation of an A/C unit has also been linked to drainage concerns in the past, since the unit isn’t oriented the way it’s supposed to.
Filthy condenser coils – See the length of tubes that run all throughout your air conditioner unit? Those are called condenser coils, and they’re filled with refrigerant. Once they accumulate enough dirt, they put significant stress on your appliance just like dirty filters.
Failing controls – If you have an indoor air conditioning unit, it’s likely you have a thermostat-controlling sensor, which, if bent out of place, can cause the A/C system to run irregularly. The sensor is the one that keeps your appliance at a constant temperature, and if it’s broken, the unit doesn’t “know” when to turn on and off. Just like leaks, only a qualified repairman from companies like AccuTemp can solve this problem and prevent others from occurring in the future.
(Source: Five Reasons Your Air Conditioner Won’t Work When You Need It, Consumer Reports, April 11, 2013)
