The Five Most Common Air Conditioner Problems to Look Out For

It’s been really, really hot for what seems like a really, really long time – if you’re like many people in the Houston area you’ve probably got your AC running full blast for at least 8 – 10 hours a day. It’s around this time that many common air conditioner problems start popping up all over the place – air conditioner problems that can leave you sweating through the dog days of summer!

The Top Five Most Common Air Conditioner Problems

Leaking refrigerant – if your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, it can reduce the efficiency of your unit, freeze the evaporator coil or even cause complete compressor failure. The thing is, the only way your air conditioner can be low on refrigerant is if it was improperly charged on installation or if it has a leak. If you have a refrigerant leak in your air conditioner, simply adding more refrigerant will probably not be enough to solve the problem. A professional HVAC company will be able to fix the refrigerant leaks in your AC.

Many symptoms of leaky refrigerant resemble signs that your filters need to be changed, so before you try the more expensive fix, replace the filters first! If you’ve changed them and your AC still isn’t working, you probably have bigger problems.

Poor maintenance – we’ve said this multiple times, but it bears repeating – seasonal air conditioner maintenance is extremely important to ensuring the continued health of your air conditioner. In many respects, your AC needs as much maintenance as your car – you wouldn’t let that go a whole year without service, would you? There are a number of things that can happen to your air conditioner if you don’t take good care of it: from relatively minor things like your coils getting dirty to serious problems like your compressor or fan completely failing!

Electrical Control Failure – if your air conditioner cycles on and off frequently (as often happens when it is oversized) it can cause the compressor and fan controls to wear out. And even if your system is properly sized, the corrosion of metals and wires over time can lead to problems in AC operation. Make sure your HVAC technician checks all the connections during your AC checkup.

Heat sensor problems – this one is really only a problem with room air conditioners, which usually feature a thermostat sensor that measures the temperature of the air coming into the evaporator coil. If the sensor is thrown off somehow, it may cause the air conditioner to behave erratically, cycling on and off improperly or simply shutting off completely. The sensor should be located near the coil, but should not actually touch it – you can adjust its position by carefully adjusting the wire that holds the sensor in place.

Drainage problems – if it’s humid outside, the condensate drain on your air conditioner could become clogged. Check this out, and if it’s clogged, try to clear it.