Curious as to why your air conditioner unit may not be working properly? Want to try to fix it on your own, if you can? Nature Coast Air, Inc. is going to provide a series of blogs giving you DIY issues and fixes for your home air conditioning unit to try before you call our licensed and insured technicians.
This week’s topic: AC Condenser
Your air conditioner is made up of a few vital parts that allow the air in the home to cool (or heat):
- Air Handler (Inside Unit)
- Condenser (Outside Unit)
- Compressor
- Evaporator Coils
- Thermostat
- Air Ducts
This article is going to discuss the condenser or outside unit. An AC condenser is the outdoor portion of an air conditioning or heat pump unit that either releases or collects heat, depending on the time of year. The condenser fan is a vital component as it circulates air across the coil to assist heat transfer. The compressor is housed in the condenser unit, you could say it is the heart of the system. It compresses the refrigerant and pumps it to a coil in the form of hot gas. Refrigerant is cooled at the condenser into warm liquid and dispersed through a pipe into the evaporator coil where it expands and cools.
So we got the basics, right? Now let’s discuss some warning signs that you have a bad AC condenser.
- A loud or abnormal noise from the unit.
- Significantly reduced cooling capability.
- The unit is leaking a noticeable amount of fluid (more than just regular condensation).
Do you repair your condenser or did you need a new AC condenser unit? Here are some issues that are repairable for you (saving money, who doesn’t love that?)
AC condenser unit is dirty: This means that there are plants and debris covering the unit. You can fix this without an HVAC technician – remove the plants and loose debris then grab a hose and wash the unit. Simple, easy and you save money!
Dirty coil: Turn off your unit, open it up (go ahead it doesn’t bite), clean out any loose debris, then rinse the coil with the hose. Be careful not to damage the coils, otherwise, that is a whole other issue we need to discuss! Simple, easy and you save money!
Now the repairs that you can assess but will need that licensed and insured Nature Coast Air, Inc.technician for:
Bad run capacitor: A relatively easy fix for our tech, we keep several of these on the truck so we are always prepared for when you call. It is one of the most common issues we see repaired on a condenser unit.
Faulty motor: Motors can be replaced. We have several different motors on the truck to ensure you don’t have to wait in the hot Florida heat for cool air conditioning.
Bad compressor relay switch: An easy fix for our tech and another part we always keep on the truck! All we do is swap out the old for the new.
Refrigerant Leak: This is what happens when a large amount of refrigerant is being leaked from the system into the air and not into your system. Minor leaks are fixable for our experienced technician. Sometimes they hide and can be tricky to find making one of the most time-consuming problems for our technician, but don’t worry we like a challenge. Once the leak is found, we seal it and replace the refrigerant to ensure your air conditioner is back to keeping you cool.
When is it necessary to change your AC condenser unit? Here are some scenarios that can’t be repaired and need to be replaced:
Damaged coil: Repairing a damaged coil can take a significant amount of time and labor which makes it an expensive repair unless the coil is under warranty. If no warranty, we suggest replacing the entire air conditioning unit. About the same cost and you get a 5 or 10-year warranty!
Blockage: If there is any blockage inside your AC unit, there is a major problem. This is something we can’t repair and an entire air conditioning unit is installed.
Leaks: There are some refrigerant leaks that just can’t be fixed, this is when you will need an entire air conditioning unit installed.
Its a lot, we know and you can never be too sure if it is something you should fix or our professional technicians should, which is why Nature Coast Air, Inc. offers FREE service calls. Most of the time, if you can describe the problem over the phone our knowledgable technicians can diagnose it over the phone so you have an idea of what is wrong with it.
If you are having any of the issues listed above with your AC condenser, call us at 352-678-2948 NOW to prevent any damage to your current air conditioning unit.