Common AC Problems That Happen in the Summer

If your AC blows hot air, takes too long to cool your home, produces a hissing sound, or you notice ice on evaporator coils, your refrigerant may be leaking. The refrigerant eliminates heat and humidity from your home. Therefore, when it leaks, your AC can't cool your home efficiently.

Refrigerant leaks are harmful and cause refrigerant poisoning while polluting the environment. When you suspect a refrigerant leak, call in an HVAC specialist to fix it. They will identify the leak, repair it, and refill the refrigerant.

During the summer, you will use your AC more, and as such your air filter will need frequent changing. A dirty air filter causes numerous problems for you and your AC. The air quality in your home suffers, and you may get allergies. Your AC strains to cool your home resulting in premature wear, inefficiency, and high utility bills.

Avoiding this problem is as simple as changing the air filter frequently. Depending on the manufacturer's recommendation, change your air filter every month or every few months. A clean air filter ensures your AC functions optimally and lowers energy consumption by 5 to 15 percent.

Your AC has two primary fans. One blows the hot air in your home over the evaporator coil to cool it. The other one expels the hot indoor air through the condenser located outside your building.



A faulty motor, worn out belts, lack of lubrication, defective capacitor, and debris may affect how well your fan functions. Consequently, you get poor air flow and a variety of AC issues including premature wear.

If your AC is too loud or produces weird noises, have an HVAC specialist check it for any problems. The noises may range from hissing to buzzing, screeching, and clicking. Common causes of weird AC noises include a malfunctioning blower motor, an electrical issue, a misaligned fan belt, dirty condenser, or a refrigerant leak.

When cooling your home, your AC produces condensation that exits the AC through the drain line to the outside of your home. The drain line becomes clogged with time, resulting in water backup.



The water backup can damage the metallic parts of your AC, leading to rust and corrosion. Also, when left undetected for too long, it can result in mold and mildew growth, which is detrimental to your health and home.

Your AC's ducts carry conditioned air and distribute it throughout your home. Holes in your ducts mean that cool air leaks before it reaches all the rooms in your home. Research shows that 20-30 percent of cooled air is lost to leaky ducts.



As a result, you may notice uneven cooling in your home, poor air quality, or high dust levels. Also, your AC may require frequent repairs because it works hard to reach the desired temperature.

The thermostat regulates your home's temperature. If your AC stops working, never reaches the set temperature, runs continuously, or does not respond to input, the thermostat could be problematic. While you can solve some thermostat problems by changing the batteries or the thermostat's location, others require replacement.

You can avoid summer AC problems by scheduling AC maintenance with the experts at Triangle Heating and Cooling. We ensure that your AC is functioning correctly and ready to cool your home from the summer heat. Regular maintenance increases your AC's lifespan, prevents premature failure, and lowers energy bills.