It’s getting to be that time of year where air conditioning becomes very important. It makes the difference between a good night’s sleep and taking cold showers at three in the morning until you’re cooled off. We don’t want that to happen to anyone.
Moreover, while bad air conditioning can make a residence quite hot and dreary, it’s even more devastating for businesses. In a time where people will be trying to get out of the heat, a lack of air conditioning may lead to lost customers, just based off of the air temperature. That being said, this advice applies to both residential and commercial property owners. If you see any of these warning signs, we highly recommend that you get your air conditioner repaired before it needs to be replaced.
Foul Smelling Air Conditioning
Smells emitting from your air conditioner can range from rotten eggs to burning rubber and plastic, and each one indicates a different problem you may be having with your air conditioner. If you notice that your air conditioner makes your throat and nose close up, or if it has a distinctly musty odor, this could be indicative of some mold and mildew starting to sprout in your duct working and even inside the unit itself. If this happens, it’s best to consult an expert like us at Cold 1 to provide you with thorough equipment cleanings.
If you’re smelling ANY kind of burning we also recommend you get help from a professional, as this is a glaring sign of a faulty electrical system, either in your property or in the system. Either way it’s a fire hazard. If you’re smelling rotten eggs or something along those lines, check the areas around your vents, especially on the outside—there could be some kind of dead animal in the ducts making you smell some seriously nasty stuff. If you’re smelling something that doesn’t fit these descriptions, call a specialist immediately because there is a huge variety of problems that can be indicated by smelly A/C.
Excessive Leaking
Air conditioners work by pulling moisture out of the air, effectively “extracting” heat from the air, the dryer, colder air will come from the system creating the cold feeling we all know and love during the summer. This water is supposed to be safely stored or expelled outside of your house. If you’re getting a lot of leaking from your air conditioner inside, it could be an old system with a faulty drip pan. It could also be a system with a leaking condensation system. The risk isn’t as much to your air conditioner as it is to the surrounding areas. As this slowly leaks, a seemingly small problem will become a huge one in no time flat. Talk to an expert from Cold 1 Services to redirect that water to where it belongs!
Ice Forming Around Your Coils
As your evaporator coils gather water, the air flow around them should cause the water to evaporate. If there’s any kind of obstruction in the air flow, that water will end up freezing to the considerably cold coils. Eventually, you could end up with a huge chunk of ice on your system that not only impedes the cooling process, but also leaks everywhere and puts a large amount of strain on the system—ice is pretty heavy after all. The first thing you should check for is clogged or closed vents. If you can’t pinpoint the obstruction to air flow, contact a professional immediately.
Nasty Noises or Rumbling
Noises are more complicated, as HVAC systems are composed of dozens of components. A rumbling sound could be as simple as a loose screw or as severe as faulty wiring. If you’re hearing a howling noise or a loud buzzing noise it could be a broken fan or it could be a completely malfunctioning circuit board. If your system is making crazy noises of any kind, contact an expert immediately. Get that sound fixed before it turns into a disaster and you no longer have working air conditioning.
We hope some of these tips will inspire you to keep your air conditioners in extremely good health this season. At Cold 1 Services, we’ve spent over a decade delivering quality services to a variety of clientele including commercial heating throughout Philadelphia, and we’d love for you to join us. Contact us today in Pennsylvania at 215.310.0116 or in NJ at 856.375.1472.