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Nothing can ruin your day like coming home on a hot day to a busted air conditioner. With the extreme temperatures of a Garland, TX summer, you need an experienced air conditioning service on your side.

When it’s hot, you don’t want to have to wait around for help. For efficient installation, repair, and replacement of air conditioners in Garland, K&S Heating and Air offers a full range of services to keep your unit in its best shape.

There are some air conditioner problems that your service sees on a regular basis. It can help to familiarize yourself with some of the things that most often go wrong with your air conditioner.

Dirty Air Filters

One of the most common reasons for air conditioner failure is a clogged air filter. Keeping a clean air filter in your air conditioning unit is a very easy maintenance issue. However, with all the things you have to deal with on a typical day, it often gets postponed or forgotten.

When your air filter gets dirty, air cannot pass through it. This causes problems with airflow and puts unnecessary strain on your air conditioning system. Clogged filters can reduce your air conditioner’s efficiency and performance level.

A blocked air filter could cause your air conditioner to freeze. If this occurs, turn off your AC and let it thaw out on its own. Contact your Garland, TX air conditioning service for assistance.

How can you tell if your filter is getting clogged? See if you can see light through it. If not, you have a clogged filter in need of changing.

If you are confused about how often you should change your air filter, check the manufacturer’s advice on the product manual. Different air conditioners require different maintenance. Some units suggest monthly changes, while others require quarterly changes.

Other air conditioners are equipped with reusable air filters. You simply clean them when they are dirty and use them over and over.

Broken or Faulty Thermostat

The thermostat is responsible for controlling the temperature of your air conditioner. If it is not functioning properly, your air conditioner will not work.

A bad thermostat, or one with dead batteries, can cause your air conditioner to stop working suddenly. A professional air conditioning service can find out if you need a new thermostat quickly and install a new one, if that’s the problem.

Drainage Problems

Just like the air filter, your air conditioner needs drain lines that aren’t clogged with dirt and debris. But instead of airflow becoming restricted or obstructed, it is the water that needs to flow through.

If the drain lines get stopped up, the drain pan will fill up quickly. This water can leak out, creating a risk of serious damage to your air conditioner.

Don’t wait until your whole AC unit is in trouble. Let your air conditioning service technician inspect your unit for drainage problems, so you can face the heat of a Texas summer.

Leaking Refrigerant

Your air conditioner requires a precise amount of coolant to work properly. Too much or too little can each cause their own kind of trouble. But what if your air conditioner is leaking refrigerant?

There are some signs that your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak. Typically, the temperature will fluctuate, even though the setting remains the same.

For a job like this, you need a qualified air conditioner service in charge. The location of the coolant leak can affect the price for repair, so you need to trust your repairs to a reliable professional only.

AC Motor

When an air conditioner motor dies out, your air conditioning service will probably want to check your breakers and fuses. The job of breakers and fuses is to act as a safeguard against overheating of the motor or compressor. When the motor goes out, it trips the breaker for your protection.

Capacitors

In order to work, the fan and compressor motors rely on capacitors. There are two kinds of capacitors: a start capacitor and a run capacitor.

The start capacitor sends out a jolt that activates the motor. The run capacitor is needed to keep the motor going by sending out a series of jolts to the motor.

If either one of these burns out, your air conditioner will not work. Having a routine inspection from your air conditioning service can help you discover potential problems with your AC components before you need major repairs.

Compressor

Often, when an air conditioner is running but not cooling the house, there is a problem with the compressor. The compressor is responsible for sending the energy to the refrigerant, sending it through the coils.

Refrigerant issues are best left to a professional air conditioning service. You need someone experienced with handling refrigerant for your AC.

If too much is added, the refrigerant is sent back to the compressor. This can cause your compressor to break down. Without enough refrigerant, your compressor can run hot, leading to eventual breakdown.

Condenser Coils

At the back of the compressor are the condenser coils. Since they are exposed to the elements outside, they can get very dirty.

If simple rinsing isn’t doing the job, have your air conditioning service clean your condenser coils professionally. They will have access to professional products that an amateur would not have access to.

Evaporator Coils

The job of the evaporator coils is to absorb the heat that is in the air and send it back into the house through the air ducts as cold air. If they are located outside, they can become corroded with debris.

If your evaporator coils are located on the inside of your house, your maintenance issues are fewer. Your air conditioning service will be able to set up a schedule for future maintenance, so you can avoid possible trouble.

Contact us today at K&S Heating and Air for more information on how we can keep your air conditioner in tip-top shape for summer.