Living room with air conditioner illustration
When you live in Texas, an air conditioning system isn’t a luxury: It’s a necessity. Daniel’s Austin is a dependable HVAC and plumbing contractor that can help you stay on top of any air conditioning repair Austin you may need.
How Do Air Conditioners Work?
There are five basic components in any air conditioning unit: the compressor, the fan, the condenser coil, the evaporator coil and the liquid refrigerant.
As liquid refrigerant passes through the evaporator coil, it vaporizes and absorbs heat from the surrounding air. This cools the air that’s circulating near the evaporator coil, and your fan distributes this cool air throughout your indoor environment through your ventilation ducts.
The hot refrigerant gas, meanwhile, passes into the compressor unit, which constricts the gas, thereby raising its temperature still further. This hot vapor is released through the condenser coil into the outside environment, and the cooling cycle begins again.
What’s Wrong With My AC?
Air conditioning units are pretty sturdy pieces of equipment for the most part, but occasionally things do go wrong with them. Here are a few of the more common reasons for calling your air conditioning technician:
• Screeching or clattering noises: Electrical failures in the compressor or faulty wiring can be the source of those weird noises your AC is making. Those sounds won’t go away on their own! In fact, if you ignore them, you may look over and see smoke pouring out of your unit one of these days. Call your air conditioning repair person as soon as possible.
• Your AC won’t start: When your air conditioner is not starting up, the first thing you should do is check your thermostat. Make sure your AC thermostat is set to “Cool” and is calibrated to a temperature that’s at least three degrees below the temperature of the room it’s in. Sometimes, AC’s balk when their air filters are completely clogged, so check the filter, too. The problem could also be caused by a dirty or clogged condenser, in which case you will need a repair service.
• Your air conditioning unit blows warm air: This common issue can be due to any one of a number of different causes. If your air filter isn’t clogged, and you unit doesn’t have a refrigerant leak, then the culprit may be a malfunctioning condenser or a dirty condensate line.
• Diminished airflow: Airflow problems in an AC unit can be related to a clogged air filter or a broken fan but can also be a symptom of a malfunctioning compressor. When compressors aren’t routinely serviced, dust and grime can build up inside them. At first, the compressor may respond by running overtime in an attempt to expel that extra heat from the system. Ultimately, however, the increasing temperature may cause your compressor to grow so hot that it fails.