Common Causes of HVAC Problems

Everybody would love to get an HVAC system that is problem-free and requires no recurrent repairs. But due to the natural wear and tear of parts and collection of dirt, your HVAC system is bound to have a few problems from time to time.

Regular cleaning and maintenance help keep these minor issues to a minimum. Also, there are certain tips you can keep in mind and follow to ensure that you do not unintentionally do anything that can cause harm to your system.

To avoid this, it is important to understand the common causes of HVAC problems. It will then be easier to deal with them.

1. Low refrigerant level

The refrigerant in your HVAC system is responsible for cooling the air in your house. If there is any leak in your system, the refrigerant level will go down and the AC will not be able to cool the air around which is not good during those hot Bay Area summers.

Refrigerant leaks need to be found and repaired and then the refrigerant needs to be topped up. So, if your AC is not cooling, check the refrigerant.

2. Frozen evaporator coils

The evaporator coils of your AC hold the refrigerant in them that helps cool the air. These need to stay warm to help the refrigerant circulate. If these evaporator coils get frozen, there will be an ice-like build-up on them and your house will receive air that is warm instead of cool.

3. Malfunctioning fans

Your AC consists of two fans that help cool the air brought inside the house and which expel heat from the house. Any malfunction in either of these fans will result in an obstructed airflow. Too much debris, a faulty motor, worn belts or less lubrication can all cause fans to malfunction, giving you less or no cooling in the house.

4. Leakage in the ducts

The cool air from your HVAC system is transported around the house through the ducts inside your walls or ceiling.

If these ducts have any leaks in them that may be caused due to faulty installation, bad repair work, rodents or effects of weather, cool air will be lost to the surroundings, in an area where it is not required. Finally, very less cool air will reach the AC vents. Your system will have to work harder to overcome the energy loss taking place due to the leaks.

5. Dirty condenser coils

Condenser coils are part of the AC’s outdoor unit and can get very dirty due to outdoor pollution, dust and grime. Condenser coils expel heat out of the house but if there is too much dirt on them, this won’t happen and result in the wear and tear of parts.

6. Incorrect thermostat settings

Whether you have a traditional manual thermostat or a smart programmable thermostat, you have to make sure that the settings are right, otherwise, your AC won’t get the correct instructions and cool too much or too less and at the wrong time. This will result in a huge loss of energy and also raise your utility bill.