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Coeur D’Alene & Spokane Area

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Can Your AC Repair Needs Wait Until Next Fall?

top-view-of-an-outside-ac-unitIs your air conditioner acting up? Since it’s so close to the end of the summer anyway, it’s probably okay if you wait to call for repairs, right? We understand this temptation, but we urge you to reconsider.

It’s never a good idea to neglect an air conditioning problem, especially at the end of the season. Letting an air conditioner in disrepair just sit in wait until you need it again could leave you with even bigger, more urgent repair needs or worse—a completely broken down air conditioner.

But, do you know how to spot the signs that your air conditioner is, in fact, in need of repair?

Unusual Sounds

No air conditioner is silent, of course. You should hear the hum of the fans and the whoosh of the air coming through your vents. But what you shouldn’t hear is anything out of the ordinary, like hissing, screeching, banging, or grinding. These are all signs that something is amiss with your air conditioner.

A good rule of thumb is that any sound that forces you to stop and wonder if you always heard it is most likely an issue with your air conditioner. As soon as you notice a new noise, be sure to call in a pro for inspection at the very least.

Frozen Coils

Ice on your air conditioner is never normal, and never a good sign. This can be a bit misleading, since ice would seem to indicate powerful cooling, right? But in actuality, your evaporator coil may be having problems absorbing the heat from the air, therefore causing it to get way too cold in there.

Frozen coils only exacerbate the problem, too, by making it even more difficult for the evaporator coil to absorb heat. As a result, you won’t get the cooled air your system should be providing.

Lukewarm Air or No Air Coming From the Vents

This can be caused by the frozen coils we mentioned above, but there are other potential causes as well. It might be as simple as a clogged air filter. Changing the HVAC air filter is something you can and should be doing on your own every 1-3 months.

Other possibilities, if changing the air filter doesn’t work, is that there is a problem with the fans, or some other component has broken down. The bottom line is, this is not a problem that you should wait on.

Odd Smells

Does the air coming from your air conditioning vents smell musty? This could be a sign of mildew buildup in the ductwork or within another component of your air conditioner. Another odor to be aware of is the smell of melting plastic or some type of burning.

This could very well mean you have faulty or damaged electrical wiring, and this needs to be remedied right away. If you detect this odor, the best thing you can do is shut off your system until our pros can get in and take a look.

For quality air conditioning service in Spokane, WA, contact ACI Northwest today!

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