Is your home getting hotter by the minute even though your air conditioner is on full blast?
This is a pretty clear-cut sign that you have a broken air conditioner. When your AC isn’t functioning properly, it’ll sometimes deliver warm air throughout your home and send the temperature soaring instead of bringing it down.
If you notice this happening, call for air conditioner repair right away. An AC specialist can come out and see what’s preventing your AC from cooling your home down.
There are some other telltale signs of a broken air conditioner as well. Even if your AC is cooling your house down, it could still have an issue that you’ll need to address to keep your home comfortable.
Here are the seven signs you should look out for when it comes to your home’s AC unit.
1. Weak Air Flow
If your home feels warmer than it should on a day when you have your AC turned on, walk around and put your hand next to the vents in your home.
If there’s cool air coming out of your vents, that’s a good sign. But if there’s not much air coming out of them, that’s not.
You should have a steady flow of air coming out of your vents, strong enough to feel with your hand from about 8-12 inches away. If you notice that the air in your vents is coming out weaker than normal, there is likely an issue with something in your AC unit.
In some cases, you may have a dirty air filter that needs to be replaced. A dirty air filter can limit the amount of air that can pass through your cooling system.
But in other instances, your AC’s blower motor may have gone bad or your fan control board might be faulty. Either way, you have a broken air conditioner on your hands and will need to get it fixed to improve your air flow.
2. Strange Sounds
Did your AC unit start making strange sounds out of nowhere?
Those sounds could be anything. You might have a loose belt somewhere in your cooling system, or you might have a broken part that’s causing banging sounds in your air conditioner.
Regardless, you should shut your AC down if you ever hear screeching, banging, grinding, or any other sounds that are out of the ordinary.
When your AC is on, you shouldn’t hear anything at all. Be suspicious if it starts making more noise than usual.
3. Excessive Moisture
Air conditioners create a lot of moisture when they’re turned on. They’re designed to take that moisture and get rid of it so that it doesn’t lead to mold and mildew growth.
However, t’s not all that uncommon for an AC to start leaking when there’s an issue with the condensate drain. A condensate drain that’s either blocked or broken can send water spilling out of your AC unit and onto the floor.
Get into the habit of inspecting your AC unit every few days to see if there are any leaks. If you spot any water, schedule an appointment with an AC specialist as soon as you can.
4. Odd Smells
While you’re inspecting your AC unit for leaks, take a whiff of the air surrounding it and see if you smell anything strange.
Ideally, you shouldn’t smell anything at all when your AC is being used. But there are times when you may detect a smell that indicates a problem.
For example, if you do have mold or mildew growing somewhere in the vicinity of your AC, you may pick up a musty smell in your basement or utility closet. Or, if the insulation for one of the wires in your AC has burned out, it might smell like something is burning.
You could put your entire home at risk if you don’t investigate a strange smell further. Have a professional come out and take a look at your AC if you smell anything that causes concern.
5. Poor Air Quality
Is someone in your house suffering from asthma attacks every time your AC is on? Do you yourself sneeze constantly or seem to have allergic reactions to something in the air when you’re cooling your home?
There’s a chance your AC could be bringing down the air quality in your home in dramatic fashion.
Changing the air filter can provide a quick fix. But if that doesn’t do the trick, you’ll need someone to pull your AC apart to see what else might be wrong.
6. Increased Cooling Costs
If your cooling costs are double or triple what they used to be, it could make you want to shut your AC down and deal with the heat rather than blowing your household budget.
Rather than going that route, see if an AC repairman can figure out why your cooling costs are so much higher than they used to be. There might be a good reason why your AC isn’t running as efficiently as it should be.
7. Endless String of Repairs
You can fix a broken air conditioner a few times and breathe some life back into it, but if you’re constantly fixing your AC over and over again? It might be a sign that your broken air conditioner is on its way out.
Instead of paying a fortune trying to fix your AC, think about doing air conditioner replacement. You could actually save yourself a lot of money in the long run by replacing your AC now rather than fixing it yet again.
Fix Your Broken Air Conditioner Today
You should never ignore a broken air conditioner.
Outside of making your home uncomfortable, a broken air conditioner can also run your energy bills up and do further damage to the parts in your AC.
In some cases, it could even be unsafe to run your AC when it’s broken. So rather than risking it, call on someone who can help get it running right again.
Contact us to request service on your AC today.
