The air conditioner in your home in Jacksonville serves a vital purpose. You may have to rely on it to keep your home cool for much of the year. You can keep it running reliably and safely by understanding and addressing the most common issues with AC units in Jacksonville, FL.
Clogged Drain Lines
The drain lines in your AC unit move away accumulated moisture. High outdoor humidity levels can contribute to a buildup of algae and bacteria in them.
This buildup causes standing water and spills at plugged termination points in the lines. Water accumulation, in turn, contributes to damage like corrosion and rust, as well as mold growth, which contaminates your home’s indoor air quality.
Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant leaks occur in many AC units in Jacksonville each year. This type of leak prevents your cooling system from absorbing heat.
It causes your unit to work harder to pump gas through its line, valves, and exterior coils. It also contributes to poor unit function and shortens your AC’s lifespan.
Damaged Sensors
The natural environment in Jacksonville can damage the sensors in your home’s air conditioner unit. The area’s high humidity, combined with exposure to rainstorms and electricity spikes, leads to dust and moisture buildup on the sensors.
This buildup causes corrosion and throws off the calibration of the sensors. Your unit then loses its awareness of real-time temperatures.
Frozen Evaporator Coils
Factors like clogged or dirty filters can contribute to the freezing of your air conditioner’s evaporator coils. They compromise airflow and reduce velocity across the coils in your unit, impeding their ability to absorb, transfer, and discharge heat.
The coils in your AC will freeze once the unit’s temperature reaches below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Coil freezing can lead to problems like electrical shorts, fan failure, and damage to parts in the cooling unit.
Short Cycling
Short cycling often befalls air conditioners in Jacksonville. This problem occurs when your cooling system gets overburdened and cannot manage the heat load. It causes your unit to shut off prematurely before the inside air reaches the set thermostat temperature.
Short cycling also increases your energy costs and wears out your unit’s compressor faster. Factors that cause short cycling include low refrigerant levels, dirty filters and coils, leaky ductwork, or using the wrong size AC unit for your home.
Faulty Thermostats
Many air conditioners in Florida can suffer from faulty thermostat functioning. They can fail because of repeated exposure to the area’s high humidity levels. This problem can lead to damage like corrosion of the unit’s external parts and disruption of the system’s integration with its control board.
A faulty thermostat likewise cannot maintain its set temperature. You must hire a professional HVAC technician to install a new one to restore your system’s climate control function.
Unusual Noises
Unusual noises indicate your air conditioner could have a serious mechanical problem. For example, it might have loose parts inside of it. Something off balance in your unit can likewise cause loud and unusual noises like banging, vibrating, or grinding.
Squealing signals that your unit’s motor could require lubricating or repairs. Buzzing and clicking can hint at AC performance issues that put your unit at risk of failure.
Overheating
Factors like the intense heat and humidity in Jacksonville can cause your air conditioner to overheat. When it overheats, it will shut itself off to prevent further damage to it.
Dirty or clogged filters can also cause your system to overheat. You should check and change the filters to prevent this problem. If it overheats even with clean filters in it, you should hire an HVAC technician to repair your air conditioner.
Power Issues
When your air conditioner frequently trips its breaker or shuts itself off prematurely, it could have bad wiring or faulty circuits. It may also need new power switches installed. You should entrust this repair work to a licensed HVAC technician to prevent damage to your air conditioner and mitigate the risk of an electrical fire.
Clogged Filters
High pollen counts in Jacksonville, combined with household factors like pet dander and dust, can cause your AC filters to get dirty and clogged. You should change them every two to three months to prevent damage to your AC system. Changing them takes less than one hour.
Dirty filters can contribute to problems like poor airflow and compromised indoor air quality. They can also cause your system to work harder and raise your cooling bills.
Rusted Drain Pans
The condensate drain pan in your cooling system collects moisture from the evaporator coils and directs water through the system’s connected pipes. High humidity levels in Florida, as well as minerals in the rainwater, can cause your pan to corrode. Corrosion can then cause holes and punctures in the pan, leading to water leaks and water damage in your home.
Contact an HVAC Professional
Solving these common AC problems in Jacksonville requires the assistance of a professional HVAC technician. An HVAC professional has the training and resources to identify and repair issues that compromise your AC’s ability to keep your home cool and comfortable.