Cleaning Your HVAC System

Posted on: 10 June 2015

Buying a new central air conditioner for your home is a costly endeavor and you might be tempted to save some money by hiring the cheapest air conditioning repair and installation company in your area. After all, you will be able to tell before the tech leaves if the unit is cooling the air so you will know the job was done correctly. Unfortunately, a momentarily working unit doesn't mean the entire system was installed correctly. That can cause major problems down the line.

Here are a few of the major problems that can occur when an air conditioner isn't installed correctly.

Duct Leaks

Air ducts serve the vital purpose of channeling the cooled air throughout your home. Ducts that aren't properly sealed or positioned can lower the efficiency of your air conditioning unit and leave your home feeling hot during the summer months.

Duct leaks can cause up to 30 percent of the cooled air to escape into the walls rather than out through the vents. Because the air isn't going into your rooms, you will turn down the temperature further to try and get a comfortable temperature. This causes the unit to run even harder and you will eventually see a spike in your electricity bill.

If you suspect a duct leak, call a reputable air conditioner repair company and request assistance. Duct sealing might be all that's needed to improve your unit's efficiency and lower your electric bill.

Refrigerant Issues

Refrigerant is the coolant that powers the unit's ability to produce cold air. It's vital that the right refrigerant is used for your unit, that the refrigerant is properly charged and that the refrigerant is at the correct level. What can happen if the refrigerant isn't done correctly at installation?

Incorrect or overcharged refrigerant can essentially flood your system and permanently damage the condensing unit motor that kicks off the cooling system. You would then need to pay for an expensive replacement part and, potentially, an entirely new unit.

Low levels of refrigerant can diminish the amount of cold air produced by your system. There won't be enough refrigerant to move into the air handler's evaporator coils, which are supposed to become cold when the coils change the refrigerant from liquid to gas. If those coils don't become cold, the warm air cycling in from your rooms won't pass across a cold surface and will pump back into your house as warm as it went into the system.

If your unit isn't providing cold air, call an air conditioner repair company, like Allied Air Conditioning & Heating Corp, to have the refrigerant replaced or refilled.