Temprite Climate Solutions Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning System Repair’

5 Ways to Prevent Your AC From Overheating

Monday, August 8th, 2022
air-conditioner-with-clipboard-on-top

The heatwaves just keep rolling in, and with that, we’re running our air conditioning units harder than ever before. Not only is continuous AC use an intense strain on power grids and electricity bills, but the wear and tear can easily break down units at accelerated rates. This leads to an all-too-common problem at the height of seasonal extremes—permanent AC failure!

As costly as it is problematic, experiencing a unit breakdown is a huge issue on these scorchingly hot days! Thankfully there are plenty of methods to mitigate disaster and save homeowners from such a hassle. The keyword here is certainly prevention, as those in need of a fix have to give their local AC repair folks a call.

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Facts About How Cool Your AC Can Make Your House

Monday, July 25th, 2022
AC-fan
Spinning fan closeup.

When temperatures rise during the summer, you’ll turn to the air conditioning system to cool down your house. While looking at the settings on the thermostat, you may wonder just how cool the AC could potentially make your home. On most thermostats, the lowest setting allowed is 10–15°C, and that’s too cold for most people. Can the AC actually get your house that cool? Could it potentially go farther if the thermostat settings went lower?

We think this is a good question to ask, because it’s not only a theoretical exercise. Knowing the cooling limits of an air conditioning system can help you understand some important basics about how it works and how best to use it. We’ll explain the facts about your AC’s limits below.

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Refrigerant Leaks From Your AC Need Fast Repairs!

Monday, June 27th, 2022
air-conditioner-coils

Refrigerant leaks are a problem that can strike any air conditioning system. Just because they’re common doesn’t mean they aren’t serious. A refrigerant leak will lead to a string of problems that eventually conclude with an air conditioner permanently breaking down when its compressor fails. 

In this post, we’ll look at why refrigerant leaks are such a problem for an air conditioner and how you can recognize leaks so you can call us for air conditioning repair in Qualicum Beach, BC.

The Danger of Refrigerant Leaks

People often misunderstand the job of refrigerant in an air conditioning system. They may know that the refrigerant is what somehow makes the air cooler, but they may also believe that the air conditioner runs off the refrigerant as if it were a fuel source. 

So we want to make this clear: an air conditioning system does not use up refrigerant like a fuel. The amount of refrigerant in an AC, known as the system’s charge, should remain constant for the life of the unit. Refrigerant goes through a process of evaporation and condensation to allow it to move heat from indoors to outdoors, and during this process, it never dissipates. 

This is why leaks are trouble: they lower the charge of the air conditioner. This makes it harder for the AC to absorb enough heat to provide adequate cooling. But there are even more problems. An AC is designed to run at a specific charge, and if that charge drops because of leaks, it jeopardizes the whole air conditioner. Not only will heat absorption drop, but the AC will drain extra power, its coils will freeze, and the compressor will finally overheat. A burnt-out compressor is expensive to fix, and in many cases, it’s more cost-effective to replace the whole AC.

Noticing Refrigerant Leaks

Leaking refrigerant is difficult to notice at first. These leaks are tiny, often the size of pinholes, that form at spots of corrosion along the refrigerant lines. But you can pick up on when an AC is running with lower refrigerant by looking for these warning signs:

  • A hissing or bubbling sound coming from parts of the AC. These are the sounds made by gaseous or liquid refrigerant escaping from refrigerant lines.
  • A change in indoor humidity. With lower amounts of refrigerant, an air conditioner will pull less moisture from the air as the refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator coil. You’ll often notice a change in humidity before you notice a drop in cooling. 
  • Ice forming along the evaporator coil. It may seem odd that less refrigerant would cause ice, but this is an example of why the balance of refrigerant is so crucial for an AC. Too little refrigerant won’t absorb enough heat to warm up, so it will remain too cold and cause ice to form on the coil.
  • The air conditioner begins to turn on and off rapidly, known as short-cycling. Many different malfunctions can cause this, so you’ll want it looked at regardless of whether it’s due to leaking refrigerant. 

Please act quickly when you suspect something is wrong. The sooner we’re on the job, the less danger of your air conditioner needing a larger repair.

Temprite Climate Solutions: For a job done right, call Temprite!

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A Short-Cycling AC May Be a Short-Lived AC!

Monday, September 6th, 2021
ac-grill

A central air conditioning system runs in cycles: the thermostat sends a request for cooling to the air conditioner’s control board, the board turns on the compressor to place refrigerant under pressure, and the refrigerant circulates to remove heat from indoors. The cycle concludes after the thermostat registers the AC has met the target temperature, causing the compressor to cycle down (although the blower fan may continue to run).

A standard cooling cycle lasts for 15 minutes or more. This is the minimum time necessary for all parts of the AC to put in the work to make a noticeable difference in the indoor temperature. On hotter days, the cycle will last longer. 

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Why Is There Ice on Your AC?

Monday, August 23rd, 2021
ice-on-an-ac

Ice appearing on parts of an air conditioning system, usually along the indoor evaporator coil, is a common HVAC problem, and one that people often misunderstand. To someone unfamiliar with how air conditioning works, seeing ice may simply seem like a sign the AC is working extremely well, making the air so cold that it’s creating ice. 

This isn’t what’s happening. Ice should never appear on an air conditioning system, and its presence makes it harder for an AC to do its job. If the air conditioner doesn’t receive repairs, the ice will continue to grow and eventually cause the AC to stop cooling entirely.

Below we’re going to look at why ice might form on your air conditioner and why you need it fixed right away. 

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Your AC Is Cooling … But Not as Much as It Should

Monday, July 26th, 2021
flushed-man-in-front-of-fan

A properly installed central air conditioning system for a home is supposed to create comfort throughout the house. Air conditioning systems are designed to provide 11°C of cooling for a house, and that’s often more than enough for people to feel comfortable (provided the air conditioning system is large enough).

But what if your AC isn’t holding up its promise? If you turn on the AC, set it to a comfortable (but not too cold) setting of 26°C, and it isn’t much hotter than 37°C outside (a pretty hot day for us), but you don’t feel the house cooling down like you expect, you may have an air conditioner problem. 

Below will look at some reasons your air conditioner is losing its cooling capacity and struggling to make your summer as cool as you want it.

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Watch Out for AC Refrigerant Leaks!

Monday, June 28th, 2021
air-conditioner-condenser-3D-render

Many of the most common problems that can affect a central air conditioning system occur during the last five or so years of the system’s service life. Wear and tear take their toll—even with regular maintenance done each year—and the AC will require attention from professionals until it reaches the point where it costs less to have a new system installed than to continue with repairs.

In this post, we’re looking at a problem that can strike earlier in an AC’s service life, sometimes starting after five years: refrigerant leaks. The copper lines that carry refrigerant through the air conditioner can corrode because of chemicals found in household air, and this often causes refrigerant to escape. Refrigerant loss is a major problem for an AC, that will lower its effectiveness and efficiency and can also cause a catastrophic breakdown. We’ll give you some help understanding these problems and spotting the signs you need air conditioning service in Campbell River, BC to fix refrigerant leaks.

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Get Your AC Tuned-Up Before the Summer Heat!

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021
AC-technician-washing-condenser

Are you enjoying the spring weather? This is one of the most relaxing times of the year when it comes to outside temperatures, hitting that sweet spot between too cool and too hot. But these spring temperatures won’t last much longer. Your home’s air conditioning system will soon start its regular work of cooling down your family—and it might not be ready for the job.

There’s one way to make sure your AC is prepared for the summer, and that’s with a professional tune-up and inspection. Thanks to professional maintenance, you can lower the chance you’ll need to call for AC repair in Parksville, BC or have an air conditioner that wastes money whenever it comes on. 

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Figuring Out What Those Strange AC Noises Mean

Tuesday, August 11th, 2020
woman-coverng-ears

An air conditioning system that’s making more noise than it used to, or is making unusual noises it hasn’t before, is a reason for concern. It may not mean that it’s time for a new AC installation in Courtenay, BC to replace the air conditioner, but it often indicates a need for repairs from expert technicians.

In this post, we’ll examine some of those out-of-the-ordinary sounds that might come from your air conditioner and what they mean. When in doubt, go straight to calling for professional repairs rather than tinker with the AC yourself. Making an accurate diagnosis of air conditioning problems is something only trained technicians can do. Amateur work risks getting the problem wrong, and therefore getting the “repair” wrong.

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Some Start-of-Summer Tips for Saving Money With Your AC

Monday, June 15th, 2020
air-conditioner-money-saver

Summer means a rise in electric bills for a household as the air conditioning starts running regularly. The AC requires plenty of electrical power for its compressor and fans, and unless you want to sweat out most of the summer, you can expect to have those higher electrical bills. But … they don’t have to be as high as they sometimes are. You may be wasting electrical power and not realize it.

We’d like to help. Here are some tips for your air conditioning in Courtenay, BC, at the beginning of summer that can help make the whole season less expensive—while still being cool!

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