If there’s any home service you don’t want to put off, it’s air conditioning repair. This is because if you delay managing a small repair need, it can turn into a much bigger, and more urgent, repair need.
We understand your desire to wait. If your air conditioner is still running, just maybe not as well as you think it should be, you probably don’t want to shell out any extra summer vacation money on fixing it. But waiting could mean a complete air conditioner breakdown or shelling out even more money to replace your AC prematurely.
We’re not trying to be dramatic, only to highlight the importance of prompt AC repairs. But how do you know when you need those repairs? Well, we’ve shared some signs for you to watch out for below!
Your Air Conditioner Is Doing a Poor Job at Keeping You Cool
You may be surprised to find how often homeowners wait to have this problem taken care of. On really hot days, it can be easy to convince yourself that this is why the air conditioner is struggling to cool your home off enough. This is a reasonable assumption, as an air conditioner can typically only cool about to about 20°F below what the temperature is outside.
But you shouldn’t just assume this is the case and let it go if it’s an 85°F day outside and you’re trying to cool your home to 75°F. This is a completely reasonable thermostat setting and your air conditioner should be able to oblige.
Your Energy Bills Are Really High
Okay, so this one is maybe a bit subjective. What’s “really high” after all? Doesn’t everyone think their energy bills are too high?
Maybe. But what we want you to look at is what you’re paying in comparison to what you paid this same time last year. If you can, compare your bills to what your neighbors are paying for similar use. If yours are a lot higher, then it’s a sign that something in your home is working inefficiently, and it may be your air conditioner. After all, your HVAC systems account for about half of all your home’s energy use!
Your Air Conditioner Is Cycling on and Off Rapidly
This is called short-cycling and it’s a process your air conditioner can go through where it turns on, runs briefly, then cycles back right back off without ever completing a full cooling cycle … then it repeats this process over and over again.
The whole time this happens, your air conditioner can’t ever effectively cool down your whole home because it can’t run long enough to do so.
The heat inside your home keeps signaling the thermostat to turn your cooling system on, but this short-cycling process will wear down your AC system faster, leading to increased wear and tear, repair needs, and even premature replacement. If you hear your system short-cycling, it’s definitely time to give us a call.
For professional air conditioning repair in Roseville and beyond, contact “The Guys in the Big Red Trucks”—Sierra Pacific Home & Comfort, Inc.