Two Things That Can Cause an Air Conditioner to Malfunction
Air conditioners are generally quite robust; however, there are a few things which can cause them to malfunction. Read on to find out what these things are.
Clogged-up air filters
The air filters in you HVAC system need to be periodically replaced or washed when the system is used on a regular basis.
The reason for this is that these air filters are designed to capture airborne contaminants, such as dust, dander and mites. Over time, they can become coated with these contaminants.
When this happens, two issues are likely to arise. Firstly, the clogged-up filter will act as a physical barrier that will prevent a substantial amount of the cooled air created by the air conditioner from emerging from the unit and circulating around the house. This may result in the property feeling quite warm, even when the system has been switched on for several hours.
Secondly, the cooled air that does emerge may contain some of the aforementioned contaminants. This can affect the air quality in the house, which could be problematic if any of the household members suffer from allergies or asthma; inhaling dust-filled air can exacerbate the symptoms of these conditions.
Refrigerant leakage
'Refrigerant' is a special type of liquid which can absorb heat. It is this quality that enables it to reduce the temperature of the warm air that enters an air conditioner so that the air that then emerges from the unit is cold. This liquid is located within the system's hollow coils.
Unlike water, refrigerant does not evaporate and, as such, does not need to be topped up regularly. However, the refrigerant levels in an air conditioner can drop if one of the coils within the system develops a hole that allows the liquid to seep out. If this happens, the air that emerges from the air conditioner unit will feel warm, instead of cool.
Unlike the aforementioned clogged-up air filter, a refrigerant leak is not an issue that a homeowner can resolve on their own. Instead, they would need to contact an HVAC specialist who carries out air conditioning repairs to fix the problem.
In this situation, the HVAC specialist would probably have to disassemble the unit, in order to find and repair the coil that has developed the hole. After they have done this, they can then replace the refrigerant that was lost as a result of the leak.
Contact a company like Needhamair if you have questions about your air conditioner.
