Hot, humid days of summer are hard to endure without air conditioning. That's why preventative repairs and cleaning are so important. You want to do what you can to prevent a failure of your cooling equipment. Here are four common reasons you may need air conditioning repairs and some signs you may have one of these problems.

1. Refrigerant Leak

A refrigerant leak is a bad thing for your AC because the air conditioner can't cool off your home without refrigerant. A leak can happen suddenly when a line is ruptured, but it's also common for a refrigerant line to develop a tiny leak that allows the refrigerant to leak out over time. If your air conditioner is running normally but the air isn't cool, the problem could be a loss of refrigerant. Low refrigerant can also cause ice to build up on your AC system.

If the refrigerant in your air conditioner is low, the repair technician has to search for the leak and then repair it so the refrigerant container can be filled and returned to the correct pressure.

2. Dirty Coils

Your air conditioner has coils in the condenser outside and the air handler located inside. When the outside coils are dirty, the coils can't release heat as well so your air conditioner can't cool your home as efficiently as it should. When the indoor coils are dirty, the dust acts as insulation and keeps the coils from pulling heat from your home. This causes the temperature in the coils to drop, leading to ice buildup.

When the coils in your AC freeze over, your AC will stop working, and you may need to call for emergency repairs. The best way to prevent this problem is to have your AC cleaned at least once a year.

3. Thermostat Malfunction

If your air conditioner has difficulty reaching the set temperature, or if it turns off and on in an erratic way, the thermostat could be to blame. You might try putting in new batteries, and if that doesn't help, you may need the repair technician to check the wiring with a meter, make repairs to the thermostat, or put in a new one.

4. Fan Failure

Your air conditioner has two fans. One is in the air handler, and the other is in the condenser. These are both crucial to the functioning of your AC. When a fan has problems, it might make unusual noises. When a fan fails, your AC won't be able to cool your home, and your AC may stop working until repairs are done.

There are several things that cause a fan malfunction, including a dirty fan, electrical problems, and motor failure. Call your air conditioning repair service so they can figure out the cause of the fan failure and then make the right repairs to get you cooled off again.

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