Modern Air Conditioning

Modern air conditioning is a lot more reliable than ancient systems to cool homes. How can you ensure your system runs smoothly?

Schedule Routine Maintenance and Checkups

The first step is to schedule routine maintenance and checkups for your unit. An Abel technician will check all parts of the system to ensure it’s running smoothly. And, if they find something that they think may be a problem, they will provide you with a complete estimate for your consideration.

Reasons for Air Conditioner Failure

Why do air conditioning systems fail? Our modern systems are very reliable, and growing more reliable as the technology advances. But there are some situations that can cause it to fail.

• Dirty condenser coils:
  These are part of the outside unit. Dirt and grime can accumulate and heat transfer is hampered. This causes your unit to work harder, eventually leading to failure.
• Low refrigerant:
  If your unit develops a leak and there is not enough refrigerant to effectively cool the air, coolant must be replaced. However, this is not so simple as the leak must first be found and repaired, if possible. This takes an expert.
• Frozen evaporator coils:
  If the air flow is not working properly, the system can get too cold and a layer of ice will build up on the outside. At some point before the air-conditioner refrigerant is lost, the evaporator coil temperature drops below the freezing point, and the coil ices up. There could be a puddle of water gathered at the base of the furnace, and smelly wet fiberglass insulation.
• Thermostat problems:
  Your thermostat may not be programmed correctly.
• Clogged drains: 
  The moisture that is removed from the air by your A/C must go somewhere, and this water travels across the evaporator coil to the drain pan, and out a pipe. If this gets clogged or over-filled, the water can back up and damage expensive electrical components of your system.
• Fan problems: 
  A fan blows indoor air over your unit’s evaporator coil to cool the air. If this fan is not working properly due to a faulty motor, lack of lubrication, worn belts or too much debris on the coil, it can lead to compressor failure.

What Can You Do to Prevent Air-Conditioner Failure?

In addition to scheduling regular maintenance, there are several things you can do to prevent air conditioner failure.

• Inspect the ducts and see if there is plenty of air coming from the registers.
• Pay attention to your energy bill…is it going up? That may signal a problem with the unit that should be investigated.
• Replace dirty filters often.
• Keep dirt, weeds and brush from growing around your outside unit.