If your heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) system fails to reach your desired temperature or it fails to remove humidity in your home, there could be a serious problem with your heater or air conditioner. You will need to call an HVAC service technician to resolve most problems with your system so that you can be consistently comfortable in your home. Below are four signs that your HVAC is struggling and that you may need to call a professional.
Excess Humidity
When your air conditioner is working as it should, it can pick up moisture in the air and disperse it through a process called condensation. If your home feels humid even though your air conditioner has been running for an hour or longer, your air conditioning may be failing. Some signs of a struggling air conditioning unit during a humid day include foggy windows and musty smells coming from your furniture. You may need to get a dehumidifier, get a tune-up, or replace your air conditioner.
Weird Smells
As said above, musty smells could mean that there is excess humidity in your home, but a variety of other smells can point to oil leaks or other dangerous problems developing in your HVAC system. For example, the smell of rotten eggs could mean there is a natural gas leak. The smell of oil could point to a dirty filter or furnace leak. A burning smell is normal if you have not used your heater in months, but if the smell persists, cease using your HVAC system because the system could have an electrical issue.
If you are having issues with weird smells, contact an HVAC professional, like someone at McWilliams & Son. A service technician can diagnose the problem and get your HVAC back in working order.
Weird Sounds
If you hear grating, grinding, rattling, scraping, or other abnormal signs after you turn on your heater or AC, there is likely a problem with your heater, your AC, or your ducts. Hissing sounds can mean that air is escaping through leaky ducts, your filter is too small, or that coolant is leaking from your AC unit. While you could resolve the filter issue on your own, you could have an HVAC service technician deal with any of the three issues.
Excess Moisture on or Around Your HVAC Unit
Moisture is not supposed to come from your HVAC system. Leaks, moisture buildup, or water buildup could be the result of a blocked or broken condensate drain. In a best-case scenario, only water is leaking around your AC. In the worst-case scenario, you have a refrigerant leak.
In any case, you will need to call in an emergency HVAC repair Phoenix professional to inspect your HVAC system and make any necessary repairs. You do not want to touch coolant because you can get chemical burns or experience other symptoms of coolant poisoning like dizziness or irritation of the eyes, ears, and throat.
To stay safe and to establish consistent comfort in your home, act fast when you encounter these four problems after starting up your HVAC system. Professionals are willing and able to help so that you can rest easy.