Summer and warm weather seem to last longer every year and the temperatures go up a little each summer. So, air conditioners are working harder for longer each year. And, people with no whole-house AC are wishing they had it. It is important to find a good air conditioner repair and installation company to call for an appointment for equipment servicing and repair. In many cases, an old air conditioner is wasting energy and should be replaced with new, energy-efficient equipment.
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Find a Dependable Local Air Conditioning Company
Aquarius Home Services is a company in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. They also service the towns of Brainerd, Mora, and Alexandria. In addition, they serve homeowners in Siren WI. This company offers coupons for its customers to save money. It is important to ask any new company which brands and models of air conditioners they have experience servicing and repairing. Are their technicians well-trained and certified? Is their work warranted?
Choose a company such as Aquarius that can furnish and install all types of home cooling systems including units for windows, mini-split or ductless units, central air conditioning, packaged AC, and more. Then, choose a company that offers 24-hour service seven days a week for emergencies.
When to Call a Professional
The average homeowner does not feel competent or does not want to work on a broken air conditioning unit. What if they make things worse? What if they try and then have to call a service company anyway? But some homeowners are into DIY and can do some maintenance and troubleshooting themselves before calling in professional help. Here are times to call for help:
- Call an air conditioning maintenance and repair company for a system check and maintenance once a year. A good time is in early spring when the professionals can service the air conditioning equipment and get it ready to turn on for the summer.
- The Air conditioning system quits and you cannot get it going again or it is blowing warm air instead of cool air.
- The system is making odd noises or the noise level goes up when it is on.
- The system starts turning on and off intermittently or the temperatures around the house are not the same.
- Energy bills suddenly go up without a well-defined cause.
What Things Can Go Wrong with Air Conditioning Systems?
There are many parts to whole-house air conditioning systems working hard, being put under stress, and potentially wearing out or breaking. Here are common system problems:
- The pump ices up or has other issues
- A compressor is faulty
- Grimy or cracked condenser or evaporator coils
- Corroded, clogged, or dirty gas valves, filters, or drain lines
- Worn electrical components
- Burned-out capacitors
- Refrigerant leaks
- Reduced system capacity
When the air conditioning system suddenly stops working, it is not easy to tell what is wrong since the systems can be complex. The homeowner who does not feel competent to fix their own system should call in a professional. If the air conditioning system is more than ten or twelve years old, it might need to be replaced. These systems work hard and have limited life expectancies.
Maintenance and Repairs a Homeowner Can Do
There are maintenance tasks a homeowner can do themselves if they feel comfortable taking them on:
- Periodically check to make sure the area around indoor and outdoor components of the air conditioning system is clear of debris, such as boxes, piles of clothing or rubbish, grass, leaves, and furniture. The system needs air and space to operate correctly. The empty space should be two feet around all components.
- Check the system filters and change them as needed or every 90 days using high-efficiency air filters of the correct size.
- Once a month, check the whole air conditioning system for leaks.
- Every season, make sure to turn off the water to a furnace humidifier in the summer and turn it back on in the fall. Change its filter.
- Once a year, change the batteries in the carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms.
- Make sure the outdoor air conditioning unit is on a level base.
- Homeowners who feel up to it can lubricate the AC motor and replace the unit’s fan belt and then clean the AC condensation drain and line with bleach once a year.
Some of the above tasks are easy for all homeowners to take care of and others can be handled by the professional air conditioning maintenance service. The homeowner can sign up for a service contract to save money and time.
When to Replace or Upgrade the Home’s Air Conditioning
Some homeowners do not have whole-house air conditioning and rely on fans and portable AC units. The portable cooling units take up floor space and can be noisy and inefficient. When all those portable fans and AC units are wearing out, it might be a wise idea to look into a whole-house AC system that will free up floor space and do a better job cooling the home.
People who have whole-house AC units that are over 10 years old will have to consider the cost of repairs on the old unit and compare them to the cost of a new, energy-efficient system. How often does the old AC need repairs and how much do they cost? A new air conditioning system will pay for itself over several years with the savings on repairs and the lower energy costs. Systems over 10 years old use too much energy, and the AC industry has made big improvements over the last couple of years.
Another important consideration is how hot the house gets in the summer and how many times the air conditioning was on. Getting advice from your trusted air conditioning maintenance professional is a good idea also. If the system is older, but still operates efficiently and dependably, there may not be any need to replace it. This is where having regular maintenance pays off. Regular maintenance and prompt repairs help AC systems last years longer.
