Temperatures are cooling, and the official start of fall is just a few short days away. So, we can turn off our air conditioners for the season and just forget about them until next year, right?
Not so fast! Has your air conditioner been making funny noises in recent weeks? Or perhaps it seemed as though it wasn’t cooling as powerfully as it used to. If you had any sort of problem with your cooling system this summer, then the time to call for air conditioning repair in Post Falls, ID is now, rather than waiting until next year and hoping for the best.
Letting an already malfunctioning AC system sit in waiting all fall and winter long could mean a completely broken down system when spring comes back around. The following are some end of season repair needs that you really shouldn’t wait to call a pro for.
Thermostat Problems
The good news is, sometimes an air conditioner problem might not actually be an air conditioner problem at all. What we mean by this is that it might be an issue with your thermostat. Go ahead and take a gander at this component. Is it displaying as it should? Is it in cooling mode? But maybe it’s not reaching your desired temperature.
This could be because the thermostat is miscalibrated, or has loose wiring. Remember, electrical issues are something that should absolutely be left to a professional, mainly for your safety. But a thermostat problem is definitely something you’ll want to have repaired right away, since it will impact your heating system too, when it’s time to turn that on.
Damaged Ductwork
Just like the thermostat issue, damaged ductwork is something that can negatively impact your heater, too, if you have a forced-air heating system. Breached air ducts can actually account for up to 30% of air loss. This means that conditioned air, which you are paying for, is escaping into unused areas of your home such as your attic, crawlspace, or wherever else you have ducts installed.
“Okay, but I can just fix that on my own with some duct tape, right?”
Well, not quite. We get how frustrating it is to realize this, but duct tape is not actually appropriately named. While it has many fantastic uses around the home, it will not hold up to the temperature fluctuations that air ducts go through as they help condition your home. It can provide an extremely temporary solution, but to actually resolve your ductwork problem, you’ll want a pro to professional repair and/or seal off your ductwork as needed.
Loss of Cooling Power
First, make sure your thermostat didn’t get switched to heating mode without your knowing (i.e. by a family member with different cooling and heating preferences as your own). If this is not the case, then you might be dealing with a thermostat problem like we mentioned above, or you could have a refrigerant leak.
Refrigerant loss is never something that should be ignored, since it will have detrimental effects on the cooling system. Be sure to call a repair technician right away if you notice a drop in cooling power, or hear a hissing or bubbling noise that often accompanies a refrigerant leak.