4 Signs Your Central Air Conditioning Unit Needs Replacing

Posted on: 11 December 2018

If your home is no longer staying cool even on mild days, you may start to suspect that you have a problem with your central air conditioner, especially if it is an older unit. If so, look for the following signs that your home's central air conditioner may need replacing.

1.  Air Coming Out of the Vents Becomes Weaker

When your home does not remain cool, the first thing you may check is the air flow coming out of the vents while the unit is running. Normally, you should feel a steady force of air against your hand while you hold it over each vent.

However, you may notice that you can barely feel any air coming out of the vents. If this is the case, your first course of action should be to change the air filter, since a clogged filter will restrict air flow.

If you change the filter and find no difference in the air flow, there could be an issue within your unit. There is a good chance that the air conditioner's compressor is failing and no longer able to fully circulate air through the system.

2.  Strange Noises Are Heard While the Unit Is Running

Another sign that your air conditioning unit is failing and should be replaced soon is the presence of strange noises while the unit is running. Normally, you should hear a loud hum while the air conditioner is on.

However, if your AC unit is breaking down, you may start to notice squeaking or grinding sounds. At first, you may only hear these noises intermittently. As time passes, you may start hearing them every time the air conditioner is running.

If you do hear these noises, they are most likely caused by either a problem with the fan or the compressor. If the compressor is the issue, then you are probably going to have to replace the unit soon.

3.  Unit Constantly Freezes Up

When you have an older and/or failing unit, you may start noticing that it freezes up constantly. This issue is usually caused by excessive moisture generated inside the unit itself. Then, when the cold air hits the moisture, it turns into ice and puts a strain on the fan and compressor.

One serious cause of this problem is that there could be a refrigerant leak somewhere inside the compressor. As the refrigerant leaks out, it not only creates a lot of condensation, but the leak reduces the amount of refrigerant within the compressor. 

As the compressor struggles with the low level, it will intermittently blow extremely cold air that rapidly freezes any moisture inside the unit. Since the leak is inside the compressor, the situation will only worsen over time, making it necessary for you to replace the air conditioner.   

4.  Spikes in Your Energy Bill

Along with any of the above signs, you may also start noticing a spike in your energy bills. Since your old air conditioning unit is no longer able to work as efficiently as it did before, it will have to draw a lot more power to keep running at the same level as it did when it was newer.

When you replace your air conditioner with a newer model, you should stop seeing these spikes in your bills. In fact, you may even see a savings of up to 40 percent, especially if your old air conditioner was more than 10 years old.

If your central air conditioner is no longer working efficiently and is exhibiting one or more of the above signs, it may be time to consider having it replaced. Contact air conditioning installation services in your area to discuss your options for purchasing a unit that is ideal for your home and having it installed. For these types of services, consider companies like Astro Air Inc.

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Summer is Upon Us – Is Your AC Working?

Hi. My name is Laurie Waters. The HVAC contractor was just out at our house last week and did I ever get a lesson from him. You see, we had a warm spell hit and I went to turn our air conditioning on for the first time since last summer. Much to my dismay, it wasn’t working. All I got was a blast of warm air. The fan was bringing the outdoor heat inside. Thank goodness it wasn’t anything major. My unit needed Freon. While he was here, the contractor taught me how to do some routine maintenance around my unit, vents, and filters. I’m going to share this information with you. I hope you find it to be useful.

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