Air Conditioning Issues You Need To Know
Air Conditioning Issues Houston Homeowners Need to Know About
This is the time of the summer that puts the greatest stress on your air conditioner—when temperatures climb very high and stay high for several days in succession. When your AC is stressed, any weakness or problem will become evident, and this can lead to some unexpected results. Here are the top three problems and what the problem indicates.
- Hot Rooms and Frozen Tubing
Yes, in the middle of a scorching hot day it is possible for the copper tubing inside your evaporator chamber to freeze into a solid chunk of ice. Meanwhile, the cold that is sticking to the tubing is not getting into your home. Here is the reason it happened and the solution.
Air conditioning works using the principles of gas chemistry. When you compress a substance, the molecules are pushed closer together and bounce off each other more quickly. This increase in energy results in an increase in temperature. Release the pressure and the molecules bump into each other less and therefore they cool. With gases, the release of pressure drops the temperature very quickly. AC uses this principle with rapid cycles of compression/release to create cool air. The blower pushes the cool air throughout the house.
A bonus feature of air conditioning also removes moisture from hot, humid air. It happens when the humidity from the hot air sticks to the tubing like condensation on the sides of a glass of cold lemonade.
Now, a couple of things can go wrong that will cause the condensation to freeze solid. 1) If some of the refrigerant gas leaks out of the system, the release of pressure is all wrong and super cools the tubing. The water doesn’t condense but freezes on the tubing instead. Or, 2) a dirty filter is restricting the rate of hot air coming into the evaporator chamber. In this case, the chamber stays cold, and the condensation freezes. If this happens, here are a few steps to remedy the situation.
- Turn the air conditioner off until the ice melts away.
- Check the air filter and replace it if dirty.
- Turn the system on again. If the ice redevelops, call a technician for service. If the ice does not redevelop, keep your filter changed regularly.
- The AC Runs Constantly
There will be times during very hot days with prolonged cooling cycles, especially if a home is poorly insulated or has south-facing windows that are uncovered. However, a normal cooling cycle will last for 10 to 15 minutes and shut off. As evening comes and the temp drops a little, the cycle splits should be more pronounced. If the air conditioner does not cycle off, it generally indicates one of several potential problems.
Check your thermostat setting first. If the temperature has reached the setting threshold but does not turn off the AC, the thermostat has failed. The system cannot turn off because the switch is stuck “open.” Find a programmable or SMART thermostat option and replace it.
Check the air filter. Remember, it may restrict the flow of air and reduce the cooling capacity of your system as a result. Give yourself a reminder to change the air filter at least every three months.
Leaking ductwork might also lead to this problem. This is harder to verify since most ducts are covered by wall, floor, or ceiling. This may be a difficult fix unless you can visually find the leak. You may need to call a technician.
- No Cool Air
If the air is moving, but it is not cool or not cool enough, cover the solutions listed above. Check the air filter. Check the evaporator chamber to discover whether the copper tubing is frozen. Check the thermostat, to see whether the setting is correct, and the switch is working properly. If everything checks out—the filter is clean, the cools are not frozen, and the thermostat setting is correct, call a technician. A number of component failures can create this problem, but you have done your part. Leave further diagnosis to a professional.
We are a professional air conditioner contractor and stand-ready to help you with all your HVAC needs.
Air Conditioning Issues Houston Homeowners Need to Be Familiar With
Let us help with your Air Conditioning Issues. Call Doctor Cool & Professor Heat today at 281-338-8751 or email Doctor Cool and let our professional Air Conditioner Maintenance technicians assist with all of your Air Conditioning Issues.
