What's Causing These Three Recurring Air Conditioning Problems
Posted on: 15 October 2021
Persistent problems with your air conditioner sometimes point to underlying problems that are difficult to isolate. Operational problems often come from electrical issues, component failure, and efficiency issues that can be found in your ducts or refrigerant supply.
Short Cycling
An air conditioner that short cycles will turn itself on and off rapidly. Sometimes this occurs before your house has reached the desired temperature, and other times it may happen regardless of temperature. This can happen for a few different reasons.
One possibility is an air filter that needs replacing, but if that has been replaced and the problem is still occurring, this could point to a problem with the evaporator coils. If the coils are constantly freezing over, the air conditioner will continue to short cycle even if its air supply is fine.
Another possibility is something wrong with one of its electrical components, such as a loose part or a failing fuse. When your other possible solutions are exhausted, your air conditioner may need a more thorough investigation from a professional to examine its components.
AC Breaker Keeps Tripping
Another symptom of electrical issues is a breaker that trips regularly. While this also points to an electrical problem, this often has more to do with the dedicated circuit your air conditioner is installed on rather than the air conditioner itself, which means standard maintenance will do little to fix the problem.
Circuits trip to prevent your home from serious damage, and often trip in response to the circuit being overloaded, a short circuit, or a ground fault. These issues can start electrical fires, so if your breaker continues to trip even if your air conditioner is fine, avoid using your air conditioner anymore until it can be examined by a technician. Contact an air conditioning company if this is an issue.
Energy Bills Are Noticeably Higher
High energy bills usually point to an inefficiency problem somewhere in your air conditioning system. If you've noticed your energy bills suddenly spiking despite little change in usage, there are a few reasons this could happen.
One common problem can be your air ducts. Even if your air conditioner is working fine, it will have to stay on longer if much of your cool air is escaping your ducts before it reaches your house. This can happen due to fading sealant in old ducts, physical damage, and failing insulation.
A sudden spike can also come from a failing component such as a capacitor or motor; these parts may still continue to work, but less efficiently than before, causing your air conditioner to run longer. It could also happen due to a refrigerant leak; a sudden loss in refrigerant can also cause your air conditioner to have to run for longer to accomplish the same cooling effect.
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