The compressor in your home’s HVAC system is a critical link in the chain of events that allows you to keep cool in summer. If that link breaks, the whole chain breaks because the air coming from inside your home can’t make the necessary leap from the compressor to the condenser. However, it can be difficult to tell if the compressor has broken down because so many of the parts in an HVAC system produce similar symptoms when they fail. Here are some symptoms you can look and listen for. If you find any of these, give an HVAC repair company a call and arrange for a system inspection.
What the Compressor Does and Why It Needs to Do It
First, here’s what the compressor does. When your HVAC system takes in the warm air that’s in your home, it sends it flowing over evaporator coils. These coils contain refrigerant, which absorbs the heat that was in the air. The refrigerant then flows as a gas to the compressor, where the gas is compressed to make it release all that stored heat. The act of compressing the refrigerant makes it hotter than the air outside the AC unit. This sends the high-pressure heat flowing outside into the cooler, lower-pressure air. After this, the refrigerant flows to the condenser.
Abnormally High Utility Bills
A sign that something’s wrong with your HVAC system may not actually show up first in the system. Sometimes, the first clue you get that there’s a problem with the compressor is that your utility bills suddenly skyrocket. Yes, a lot of utility companies are raising rates, but if you find that one month is much, much greater than usual, you may want to find an HVAC repair company in Vacaville, CA, such as Cozy Home Services. It’s possible that the compressor has become so inefficient that it has to work more and more to compress and move the refrigerant.
Bizarre Noises
When you turn on your HVAC system, you should hear a humming-like noise when the fan and the compressor turn on. If you hear unusual buzzing, rattling or other weird sounds, call an HVAC repair company. Extra sounds indicate that something has possibly broken or is about to break. Debris could be stuck inside, too. Of course, it’s hard to determine what might be making a noise without looking inside the compressor. But if you hear anything other than humming when the compressor is running, it’s time to call for repairs. Also, if you think the humming sound has gotten either a lot louder or softer, call.
No Noises
If your HVAC compressor has cycled off, and the fan has cycled off, you should not hear anything from your HVAC compressor. When the compressor or fan cycles on, you should hear something. If you still hear nothing, then you definitely need to call a repair company. If the system tries to turn on but appears not to, that’s a blatant sign that something’s gone wrong. Check out our website for a full rundown of what cooling repair services are offered.
Insufficient Cooling
When you turn your HVAC system on, the system should work to cool the interior of your home to the temperature on the thermostat. Sometimes, when it’s very hot out (for example, 115 degrees Fahrenheit), the HVAC system can have trouble cooling down your home as much as you want it to. This is normal because the amount of heat coming into your home through thermal transfer is extremely high. However, if it’s not too hot outside (say, 90 degrees Fahrenheit), the HVAC system should be able to cool your home very well. So, if you find that the interior of your home is still too warm, that’s an indication that something may be wrong with your HVAC compressor. It could be that the compressor is not adequately compressing the gaseous refrigerant, which would affect how much heat could be expelled once the refrigerant flowed into the condenser. That in turn would prevent the refrigerant from absorbing a lot of heat the next time it passed through the evaporator coils.
Insufficient Air flow
A related problem is low air flow. This could be caused by a number of issues, and one of them is (you guessed it) a bad compressor. If something is blocking the flow of refrigerant from the compressor to the condenser, then the refrigerant isn’t going to be able to release as much heat. That will not only make it harder for the HVAC system to produce the amount of cool air you’d expect, but it can also reduce the amount of air the system can handle. The result is less cool air flowing into rooms. This problem can be kind of a tough one to trace, and you absolutely need to call a repair company to do this work.
Refrigerant Leaks
It’s possible that the refrigerant in the HVAC system has started to leak out. You may not actually see refrigerant leaking because it exists in a gaseous state in much of the system, including in the compressor. But if you’re noticing less cooling and more humidity, a lack of refrigerant could be to blame. Remember, air conditioner units also remove humidity from the air, so if the compressor doesn’t work well, the system may not pull out enough moisture. That can leave the rooms in your house feeling warmer and obviously more humid.
The Outdoor Unit Is Starting to Overheat
If the exterior unit for your HVAC system has started to overheat, that’s another sign that something is wrong with the compressor. The likely culprit is a blockage somewhere that’s preventing adequate air flow. Usually the part that overheats is the condenser, but the source of the problem can easily be a failing compressor unit.
The Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
Sometimes, a failing compressor will draw more power as it attempts to keep running. If that draw exceeds what the circuit can provide, the circuit breaker switch for that circuit will flip, and the power will turn off. If you find that the breaker switch is off and don’t see another reason why the switch might have tripped, call an HVAC repair company immediately. Don’t try turning on the HVAC until someone takes a look at the system.
As you can see, trying to figure out what happened to your HVAC unit can be difficult and confusing. If you think the compressor in your home’s HVAC unit is failing or has already broken, Cozy Home Services in Vacaville, CA, can help you get that compressor fixed. We can look at the HVAC for cooling issues and heating issues and even install a new one, as well as help you solve plumbing, electrical and drain problems. Don’t wait. If a part of your HVAC system is ready to fail, call us so that we can assist you – ask us about our AC maintenance too!
