Beware These Late Season AC Needs

We get it. We’re slowly but surely nearing the end of summer, so if you need a seemingly minor air conditioning repair in Katy, TX now, can’t it just wait? Well, contrary to what you might believe, it’s never too late in the summer to get your air conditioner repaired. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—if you wait too long you could find yourself with a completely broken down system next spring when you need it again.

Besides, the end of summer is actually a great time to have a professional HVAC technician inspect your system and make any tune-ups necessary to ensure it’s in good shape. Sure, we typically recommend this service prior to summer, but let’s face it—it’s almost always summer in Texas! Simply put, if you need a repair, it’s best to take care of it ASAP.

What Late Season AC Needs Can I Expect?

Now, if you did have a tune-up done before summer began, your air conditioner is probably in okay shape and you likely don’t have much to worry about in terms of a full system breakdown before you need it again. But it’s best to be aware of these possible repair needs anyway, given how much work your cooling system goes through.

Dirty Coils: Your air conditioner has an indoor and an outdoor coil. These regulate the heat exchange process in order to provide you with cooling. In other words, the coils work together to remove heat from the indoors, release it outdoors, and cool your air through the refrigerant process to bring cool air back in. When these coils get covered with dirt and grime, however, it impedes the heat absorption process, and your air conditioner simply will not be able to do its job as it should.

A Run-Down or Malfunctioning Fan: There are two fans in your cooling system—the blower (known as the evaporator fan) and the condenser fan. These components enable the cool air to circulate effectively throughout your home. After a long summer of moving air, the fan blades may become loos, worn, or you may experience electrical or motor issues.

Refrigerant Leak: Have you ever been told that refrigerant is something that dissipates, like gasoline from a car? And that you need to have it refilled—recharged—each and every maintenance session. We hate to tell you, but the person telling you this was either being dishonest or they were misinformed. Your HVAC systems are, ideally, supplied with enough refrigerant upon installation to last their entire lifespan, and it is constantly recycled within the system. This means that if you’re losing refrigerant, you have a leak that must be located and repaired. Otherwise, you’ll notice a drop in cooling power, which is indicative of a couple different problems that a refrigerant leak may cause.

Frozen Coils: We mentioned dirty coils and refrigerant leaks—these are both something that can lead to another dangerous AC problem—frozen coils. Why is this bad? Well because it inhibits the absorption of heat, and therefore your air conditioner simply cannot do its job. Remember, you cannot thaw or remove the ice on your own, as doing so can damage the system and also doesn’t resolve the root of the problem, which we can help you with.