When to Hire an AC Repair Professional?
When your air conditioning system fails, it should be fixed by a professional. You can do your part by arranging for regular preventive maintenance of your AC system. If your system isn’t working as it should, know what you can do to fix the problem before calling for a service professional.
Preventive Service
Air conditioners usually seem to break down during times of hot, humid weather. Unfortunately, many people with faulty air conditioners wait for hot weather to contact an AC repair professional, making it difficult to find a service repairman when you need one. You can avoid these problems by catching issues in your AC system before they become critical.
Annual preventive service should occur just before peak seasons. Your AC repair professional should check and replace filters, measure cooling system pressures, check refrigerant and test for leaks, clean drain lines, check the AC wiring and tighten connections when needed, clean drainage pans, inspect fan motors, inspect ducts and seal leaks, oil moving parts, check the thermostat for accuracy, replace belts as needed and inspect and clean coils. Preventive service calls usually cost much less than repair service calls, and this type of regular attention could keep your air conditioner working well into the hottest part of the year.
Establishing a regular relationship with an AC professional could have the added benefit of making you a priority customer, with faster service guaranteed even during peak seasons. If this is important to you, look for a repairman in your area that offers this kind of deal.
Repair Service
Although AC repairs should be left to a professional, you can trouble shoot a malfunctioning system before calling for service. If your air conditioner is running but seems not to be cooling as it should, look for any nearby opened windows, and open any vents that may have been closed. If your air conditioner has stopped altogether, check your panel box for a tripped fuse or a circuit that may have been turned off. Locate the high-pressure limit switch located in the service panel of the air conditioner, and push the button to reset the switch.
If your system still fails, call for repair. Common problems that AC systems encounter include refrigerant leaks and low refrigerant, dirty filters (hopefully not a problem if you’ve been paying for preventive maintenance) and electrical failure. When the repair professional fixes your unit, find out the cause of the problem. If your unit was low on refrigerant, ask that any leaks were identified and fixed. Your air conditioner should not run out of refrigerant and this could be indicative of a leak.
Peter Wendt is a writer and researcher working out of the great state of Texas. He has been writing about this subject for several years, and he finds that a great resource is the website at http://www.keepingaustincool.com.