The last days of summer are a great time to pack in a few more fun activities you didn’t get to during the rest of the season. And one of those fun activities is arranging for repairs on your air conditioning system!
Uhm, wait, I’ve been handed a correction… Okay, this actually isn’t a fun activity, but it’s one that’s often necessary. If you have put off any repairs for your AC earlier in the summer, don’t wait to schedule them. Just because there are cooler days ahead doesn’t mean you might be able to scrape past with an AC that isn’t at 100%. It can mean bigger repairs down the road, elevated utility bills, a sudden system breakdown on a hot day, and even an air conditioner that has to be replaced years too early.
Here’s Some of Those Late Season Repairs You May Need
You’ve probably worked your home’s cooling system pretty hard over this summer—it was definitely a hot one!—and that means it has accumulated extensive wear, dirt, dust, etc. The chance of something going wrong is much higher at the close of summer, especially if the system missed regular maintenance in spring. (Remember to always have a spring inspection and tune-up!) Below are a few of the repairs you might need our HVAC experts to do for you this September:
- Recharge the refrigerant: An air conditioner doesn’t use up refrigerant as it runs. But it can leak refrigerant because of corrosion along the refrigerant lines, and this will put the entire system in danger. To fix the problem, AC repair technicians seal up the leaks and then recharge the refrigerant to its original amount. (Overcharging it, something amateurs often do, can severely damage the AC.)
- Replace failed capacitors: Capacitors are components that transmit voltage to the motors in the air conditioner that run the fans and the compressor. High heat can cause a capacitor to lose its ability to hold a charge and fail. If motors in the AC are struggling to start or stay on, they may need to have their capacitors replaced.
- Lubricating the compressor: The compressor is the essential component of an air conditioner, the place where energy is transferred into the refrigerant to allow for the heat exchange process to work. The compressor can lose lubrication over the summer (especially if the AC wasn’t maintained) and begin to hard-start. This threatens the compressor with burning out, and a fried compressor usually means the whole system must be replaced. Technicians can lubricate the compressor so it continues to work without excess strain.
- Clean the condenser coil: Dust and dirt may gather along the outdoor condenser coil over the summer, and this will make it harder for the AC to release heat from the outside unit. The air conditioner will suffer a drop in energy efficiency in this case, and that means steeper bills. Although you can clean the outdoor cabinet with a hose, actually cleaning the coil itself requires professionals.
So when you need air conditioning repair in Fenton, MI during these last days of summer, give out technicians a call.
First Choice Heating & Cooling — If your home had a voice… it would call First Choice!