Is Your Air Conditioner in Need of Repair or Replacement? 3 Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore

A failure to address issues with your air conditioning unit can result in relatively minor issues becoming far more serious. In some cases, not only can these issues result in your home cooling system failing, but they can also put the health and safety of you and your loved ones at risk. This is why it is so important that you learn to spot the warning signs that your air conditioner needs repair or replacement. If you spot any of the three warning signs described below, be sure to contact an HVAC contractor in your local area immediately to have your AC unit serviced. 

A Bad Odor Coming From the Air Conditioner or Your Vents

Even an aging air conditioning unit should not produce bad odors. Unpleasant odors coming either directly from the unit or your air vents can indicate issues such as a burnt-out wire or the growth of mold and mildew either inside the unit or inside your vents. These issues can put your health and safety at risk as mold and mildew can become airborne when you turn your air conditioning on. Furthermore, issues with the wiring inside your unit can result in a fire hazard.

Moisture Leaking From AC Unit 

The area around your air conditioning unit should be dry at all times. If you are seeing moisture leaking from around the unit, do not attempt to clean up the moisture. Instead, you should immediately contact an HVAC contractor. The reason that this is so important is that the moisture can either be water or coolant. If the moisture is the result of coolant leaking from your unit, you will want to avoid any contact with this poisonous material. While water does not pose the same health risk as leaking coolant, it does still point to the need for immediate repairs since this type of leak often indicates that your copper cooling coils have frozen over. 

AC Unit Is Louder Than Before

Most air conditioning units are relatively quiet even when in use. If you notice that your air conditioner is running more loudly than it once did or if you are hearing grinding or scraping noises coming from your AC, this could be a sign that a belt has either broken or is out of place inside the unit. This type of issue can result in serious damage to the inside of your AC unit if not addressed quickly. Therefore, you should stop using your air conditioner until you can have it serviced if you experience this type of issue. 

For more information, contact air conditioning services.