When Should You Consider Getting Your Air Conditioner Checked?

Every HVAC system needs to be maintained and checked for repairs at regular intervals. The same goes even if your heating and air conditioning units are separate systems. Exactly how often you should get your AC serviced can vary though, depending on which part of the country you live in.

For example, if you live in any of the hot states like Utah, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, or Florida, getting your HVAC system serviced at least twice a year is recommended. However, if you notice any of the following signs, you should call for an air conditioning service as soon as possible.

Bad Smell

If your air conditioner is blasting you in the face with air that has a terrible smell, it’s a sign that you need to call in the professionals. Air conditioners are not supposed to smell, especially if they are serviced every year. If it does start smelling though, that could mean any one or more of the following.

• A chemical smell may indicate that the coolant/refrigerant is leaking, and your AC will soon completely lose its ability to cool.
• A burnt smell may indicate a short-circuit inside the AC or in the HVAC electrical line.
• The smell of rotting flesh signifies an animal is dead and stuck inside the system.
• A damp and stale smell may indicate that the AC’s water outlet is blocked and there’s putrid water accumulating inside your HVAC system.
• A musty smell from the AC is almost an assurance of the fact that there are water drainage issues in the system, along with significant mold formation.

As none of the above is desirable and most of them can lead to serious health hazards, contact Beehive Heating and Air and book an air conditioning servicing at your earliest convenience. Never ignore a bad smell from the AC, because it will only get worse.

There’s Ice Inside Your AC

Unfortunately, ice formation inside an AC is not indicative of the unit’s ability to generate ice cold air! On the contrary, ice formation is a sign of:

• Highly restricted airflow due to clogged filters.
• Highly restricted airflow due to a failing or broken blower.
• Blocked drainage.
• Low coolant level, which itself is indicative of a coolant leak.
• Dirty cooling coil.

Note that if you can see ice outside the system, it means that there’s already enough ice inside the system as well. You should be able to confirm the presence of ice by simply looking for water accumulation below the indoor unit. This is inevitable because every time you turn the AC off, the temperature inside will soon go up and melt all the ice.

Higher than Expected Electricity Bills

Both heating and cooling is expensive, but homeowners generally have a rough estimate of what to expect. If your monthly electricity bills are exceeding those expectations considerably, there is something wrong that must be checked out at the earliest. For example, ice formation inside the AC always bumps the monthly electricity bills and it can be caused by any one or more of the reasons already explained. Call a professional and get the entire HVAC system serviced. If anything is wrong with the system, the professional will also be able to detect the problem and repair it as needed.

In colder climates, you can get away with getting your air conditioner checked just once in the spring every year. However, if you have an HVAC system, then you will still need to get it serviced once more time, just before the winter months kick in.