Signs You Need Air Conditioning Service Right Away | Hinckley, IL
As the weather starts to warm up in Hinckley, IL, and elsewhere in the country, now’s the time to start taking a look at your air conditioner and make sure that it’s ready to operate for the spring and summer months.
However, air conditioners don’t always work on a tight schedule, and even if you take care of your unit and try to stay on top of things, it’s always possible for one to fail and leave your home without cool air at the worst possible time.
Luckily, if your unit does start to fail, you can usually spot a giveaway sign before things really get out of hand. As with most appliances, air conditioners usually start to let you know that something isn’t quite right based on sounds, smells, and other clues, so if you notice any of the following issues, it’s time to contact a Hinckley, IL air conditioning service before you find yourself without air conditioning.
Warm Air in the Home
Your air conditioner works by bringing in warm air from the outside, cooling it via its compressor and coolant, and circulating it back into the home. That’s one reason why you don’t want to force your air conditioner to go from not operating to trying to cool the home down to 65 degrees on a hot day because your AC is going to have to work a lot harder to cool the air from 80 degrees than it would if it’s already done some of the work.
But if your air conditioner isn’t getting anything done at all and you feel warm air blowing through the home, it’s probably time to consider air conditioning service. Before you call, however, the first thing you should do is check to see that you haven’t left any windows open in your home, as this can easily bring warm air into the home and destroy your air conditioner’s work. If all of your windows are properly closed and sealed, then you’ve got a real issue with the air conditioner on your hands.
In this situation, one of two things is likely true. Either your air conditioner’s compressor isn’t working quite right, or your system is low on coolant. Either way, calling for air conditioning service can have an experienced technician take a full look at the problem and ensure that you get cool air coming from your unit again.
Weird or Intermittent Sounds
Your air conditioner is not supposed to make much noise when it’s been running at one temperature for several hours. If you’ve just turned it on, or you’ve just lowered the temperature, that’s a different story, as your air conditioning unit will need to take some time to get up to its proper level of operation.
But if you haven’t touched the thermostat in some time, then it’s time to call for service. When you’re listening for your air conditioner to see if it’s making an odd noise, you should take note of anything that doesn’t sound like the consistent hum of a properly operating HVAC unit. A squeal or a screech could mean there’s a problem with the belts or the bearings in the system, while a click might mean that something is obstructing part of your system from doing its job.
Whenever something doesn’t sound the way it should with your HVAC, it’s almost certainly some kind of issue that needs a professional’s touch. Be sure to call for an air conditioning service in Hinckley at the first sign of trouble.
Unexplained High Electric Bills
If your electric bill has suddenly risen over a comparable time period, that’s usually a sure sign of a problem with your air conditioner. The majority of people’s electric costs can be attributed to heating or cooling their home, so if you’re seeing a rise in your electric bills, that’s usually the first place you should look.
Keep in mind, however, that you shouldn’t compare the summer to the winter when considering air conditioning service, especially if you have a gas heating system. Your electric bills are going to be naturally higher in the summer, as the costs of cooling your home increase thanks to electric companies charging more for power when more people are using it. Most people in Hinckley rely on electricity for their air conditioning units, but not everyone uses electric heat, so increased costs in the summer mean higher electric bills compared to the winter are inevitable.
But if you’re seeing an increase in May over what you paid for electricity last May, that’s a sign that you have a real problem with your air conditioner. Unless you can find a reason for the rise in your electric bills (such as someone moving into your home or an added room to your house that needed to be cooled), higher electric bills in the same month are usually a good indicator that it’s time for air conditioning service.
Strange Smells
Your AC’s filter is meant to catch particles that come through from outside to ensure that you keep breathing clean air. But when it gets overwhelmed, it gets much harder for the filter to keep pollutants and particles out of your home, which can lead to unpleasant odors.
When something gets in the unit that shouldn’t be in there, you’re going to notice it anytime you’re around your HVAC unit. If that’s not enough to get you to consider air conditioning service, there’s also the possibility of a burning smell once particles find their way to the coils. If the wiring in your unit starts burning, you’re likely to end up paying for an entirely new system long before you would otherwise need one.
To avoid that situation, it’s wise to consider air conditioning service in Hinckley, IL at the first opportunity. Just In Time is proud to provide quality maintenance and repairs for all air conditioning units, so if something doesn’t feel, smell or sound right, contact our team for first-rate air conditioning service that keeps your home cool all summer long!