Were you aware that summertime is the most likely season for your air conditioner to develop problems? This makes sense—after all, summertime is when it’s put under the most work and accrues the most stress as a result. Then you have typical wear and tear to worry about.

This is why it’s so important that you have your air conditioner professionally tuned up once a year (or twice a year, if you have a heat pump). This gives our pros a chance to discover any signs of malfunction or need for air conditioning repair in Selma, TX. It also allows us to thoroughly clean out the system to ensure full functionality.

Even with maintenance though, your AC system can suffer at some time or another. And the following noises indicate that something is, in fact, wrong.

Grinding

Is your air conditioning system making a loud grinding sound as it operates? It’s likely due to an issue with the air handler. The motor of the air handler has oiled bearings in place to help keep friction as low as possible during its operation. These bearings wear down over time, however, which causes excessive friction on the air handler motor.

Once this friction gets bad enough, the motor will start making a grinding sound. If you do in fact noise this noise, then you should call for repairs ASAP. The bearings will need to be replaced, before the air handler motor overheats and burns out.

Hissing

If your AC system is making a noise that sounds like air being let out of a tire, it’s likely the cause of air bubbles in the refrigerant line, indicating a refrigerant line leak. The lower the refrigerant level in the AC drops, the lower the system’s output capacity will drop.

Eventually, the refrigerant level in your cooling system will drop so low that the air conditioner will be forced to shut down. So be sure that you call for repairs as soon as you hear this noise (or if you notice fluid dripping from any part of the AC—this is never a good sign, no matter what the cause).

Short-Cycling

If the air conditioner turns itself on and off every couple of minutes, it’s going through a process called short-cycling. Short cycling can be caused by several things, including electrical problems and compressor malfunctions. Regardless of the cause, what’s important here is the threat that short cycling imposes on your cooling system.

Short-cycling cuts down on the AC system’s ability to cool your home but also accelerates the rate at which the system wears down. So naturally, prolonged short cycling will cause the system to break down faster than it otherwise would, and shorten its lifespan.

While the above-mentioned noises should never be ignored, they are not the only odd noises a distressed air conditioner can make. At the end of the day, if your cooling system is making noises that you are unfamiliar with, chances are there is something wrong. Even if you only suspect something is amiss with your air conditioner, it’s always a safer and more affordable choice to contact a professional to inspect the system sooner rather than later.

For quality AC services, contact Cowboys Air Conditioning & Heating today.

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