4 Signs Your AC is About to Break Down in Coral Springs, FL

Since the already high temperatures in Coral Springs, FL are only set to rise even higher in the coming months, you can’t risk having your AC break down on you. Noticing the signs of an imminent system failure will allow you to take action to prevent the worst from happening. Here are four major signs that your AC might be about to break down.

1. Poor Performance

If your AC can no longer cool your home, this should set off alarm bells. It clearly indicates that at least one major component of your AC is not working properly.

For example, if your AC doesn’t send cool air into your home, its fan or blower motor may have stopped working. If the system suddenly begins releasing warm air instead of cool air, it may be either that debris is obstructing its condenser coils or that ice has formed on its evaporator coils. Another possibility is that its compressor has malfunctioned, hampering its ability to use refrigerant to perform heat transfer.

The exact details of what is behind any particular slump in performance are for professionals to determine. In any case, poor performance suggests that at least one component is in danger of failing, which may trigger a systemic malfunction.

2. Strange Odors or Sounds

Your AC should operate odorlessly and generate no noises beyond that of a slight and unobtrusive hum. Banging, rattling, hissing or squealing noises each point to a specific issue. The same is true if you notice musty, ether-like or burning smells.

The proper response to any of the sounds and smells is to request professional help. Hissing sounds and the odor of ether mean that refrigerant is leaking from your AC. Since this substance is toxic, we advise you to turn off your air conditioner and keep children and pets away from any pools of liquid until a service technician arrives to fix the problem.

3. Skyrocketing Utility Bills

If you find your utility bills creeping upward, even though it doesn’t seem like you’ve been using your AC any more than usual, there’s a strong chance that the system is experiencing some kind of decline. All else being equal, if your AC begins to consume more energy, then its efficiency is decreasing. Falling efficiency, in turn, is a sign that the system’s parts are losing functionality.

Although prolonged use and gradual aging make this sort of physical diminishment inevitable, there are things that you can do to slow the rate of decline. For example, you should clean your system’s filters every three months because doing so will improve airflow and decrease the likelihood of overheating. It’s also absolutely essential to ask HVAC technicians to perform maintenance on your system at least once a year.

4. Short Cycling

Short cycling is when your AC turns off before it can complete a full cooling cycle. Though this behavior can occur for a variety of reasons, the common thread connecting all of them is that they threaten to force your AC to break down.

For example, your AC may have begun short cycling as a result of a refrigerant leak. The leak may have forced the system to work harder while performing heat transfer, causing the system to overheat, shut down and then start up again.

5. Outside Unit Vibrates

If your outside unit vibrates a lot when the AC turns on, this is a sure sign of trouble. Check to make sure that it is level and hasn’t shifted position. If that looks normal, turn the AC off and call us immediately. Strong shaking is usually a sign that something is very wrong and your system is about to break down.

Without knowledge of the foregoing signs, your AC may fail when you least expect it to, leaving you in the suffocating heat of Coral Springs, FL without air conditioning. Now, however, you have a much better idea of what to look out for, and you can call us at the first sign of trouble. Contact HI-VAC Air Conditioning Service today and let our team fix your AC.

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