Everyone wants to be comfortable while sitting at home, and one reason that your Charleston, SC stays comfortable is because of your HVAC system. However, your HVAC system cannot perform at its top capacity unless you regularly keep up with your heating and AC service. Just like any other major appliance in your home, your HVAC system needs regular heating and AC service or its overall efficiency will lower which means you will probably start to notice hot and cold spots popping up throughout the house. However, this generally doesn’t happen without any warning.
There are usually a handful of signs that it is time for heating and AC service, but you have to know how to recognize them. You don’t need to have a smart thermostat or a smart HVAC system to know what is going on with your system. You just need to know a few of the most common signs that your HVAC system is starting to struggle. If you notice any of these you can book a heating and AC service with a local HVAC technician and get things back to normal. Taking care of issues via a heating and AC service quickly will help you extend the lifespan of your HVAC system and keep your family cool throughout the long, humid summer.
Constant Cycling
One immediate sign that you need to call for heating and AC service is if you notice that your HVAC system has started cycling constantly. HVAC technicians will refer to this as rapid cycling, and it is a big problem for a handful of reasons. While you should expect your AC to have to run a bit more during the hot summer months in Charleston, SC, there is a point when too much is too much. If your HVAC system is cycling because the hot temperatures are making it work harder then you should notice that the intervals in between the cycles are still somewhat even.
On the other hand, if you notice that your AC is constantly cycling and there is no discernable pattern, or it is still constantly cycling on days when the temperature is not extreme then you need to call an HVAC technician out for heating and AC service. The constant cycling will eventually wear down your HVAC system meaning that you will either have to deal with broken components before the end of the year or actually shorten its lifespan which is a very expensive situation to find yourself in. In addition, the constant cycling will jump up your energy bills so this is not an issue that you want to ignore.
Odd Noises Start Coming Out of the HVAC System
Another obvious sign that something is wrong with your HVAC system is if you start to hear sounds coming out of it. Bangs, knocking, hissing, whistling, or any other odd noises are all signs that you need to call someone for heating and AC repair. You usually can hear the compressor start-up and then the soft hum of the air passing through your air vents, but that is all you should hear. Any other noises indicate that something is wrong, and they won’t go away on their own.
For some reason, people seem to think that if they wait the noises will stop and things will go back to normal, however, this is very unlikely to happen. Instead, what usually happens is the component or components that are broken or malfunctioning will completely stop working. This means that the sound will stop but the HVAC system will also stop. If you want to avoid an emergency or further damage, the best thing you can do when you hear any unfamiliar noises is schedule a heating and AC repair.
Warm Air Is Coming Out Instead of Cool
You probably take the cold air coming out of your air conditioning vents for granted, but when it loses its crisp coolness you will notice. In many cases, you will still notice that air is being blown out of your vents, but the air is hot to the touch. This can signify a few different issues that require heating and AC services such as a faulty compressor or a blocked air vent.
Before calling a tech there are a few things you can do such as change your air filter and make sure that your thermostat is set to cool. Every so once in a while, we will have a client who accidentally hit the thermostat to the fan and didn’t realize it, and this is always a great mistake to make. However, if none of these quick tricks help then you will need a professional to investigate the problem more thoroughly so that you don’t start suffering in the heat of your home.
Ice or Water on Your HVAC System
It’s not that unreasonable for your AC to be cold during the summer months, because it is spending the majority of the day cooling air. However, you should never see water or ice on any visible components both inside and outside of your home. The presence of ice means that something is going wrong or you have a leak, both situations that you shouldn’t be dealing with. The evaporator coil is often the first place that you notice ice, although instead of ice you may notice a water puddle under the outdoor unit because the ice melts in between cycles.
This problem is not going to fix itself on its own, so you need to call for heating and AC service. The longer you wait the higher the chances that the problem will cause irreversible damage. You don’t want to have to replace your entire unit in the middle of a hot Charleston, SC summer, so don’t put off heating and AC repair. If you notice ice or any of the other signs on this list, give Carney & Son a call and we will be glad to investigate any issues you may be having.
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