What’s Behind Your Overly Hot Home?
You’ve been on your feet all day. Yes, you work in an office, but you spend plenty of time outside. Walking three blocks to the deli at lunchtime. Jogging to stay fit. Walking the dogs. There is also the unpleasant experience of getting behind the wheel of a car that’s been baking in the blistering sun all day; the steering wheel barely touchable.
You blast the AC, but it barely cools down enough by the time you get home. You open the front door and expect to be hit with that welcome wave of cool air, as you’re fortunate enough to live in an air-conditioned home. Instead, you can barely feel a difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures and quickly realize that something’s going on with your air conditioning.
Uh oh. You start questioning yourself. Did I leave a bunch of windows open? Am I imagining this? Did I not pay a bill on time? Then, you take a look at the thermostat and the main AC unit and realize that you’re not the problem, the AC is. Today, we’ll be discussing the common causes behind your struggling air conditioner.
The Refrigerant Levels May Be Low
Without understanding the intricacies, engineering, manufacturing advancements and so forth of an air conditioning, a basic concept to understand is refrigerant.
Refrigerant is what cools the air that the AC then blows outward and circulates throughout your home. If the AC is instead circulating hot air, this is a major red flag, with signs pointing toward low refrigerant.
Low refrigerant creates a situation that is somewhat paradoxical. It is common for ice to build up in the refrigerant line, due to a combination of low pressure, low refrigerant, and freezing temperatures, damaging the evaporating coil.
Circulation, due to the buildup of ice, lack of refrigeration and fluctuations in pleasure prevent cold air from circulating, and therein lies the problem. What causes low refrigerant levels? More often than not, a leak. It’s important that you hire an HVAC technician to locate and repair the leak, and restore your AC to proper working order.
Excess Dust and Buildup Could Be To Blame
When any sort of mechanical device, appliance or hardware with a motor or a fan is clogged with dust, dirt and other invasive particles, as the accumulation of dust increases, the motor and/or fan have to work harder to compensate for being clogged.
This can lead to overheating, and ultimately, failure. An air conditioning unit needs to be regularly cleaned by a certified HVAC technician. HVAC technicians have specialized tools and techniques to reach each component part of the AC that cannot be reached with an ordinary duster or vacuum.
This maintenance and regular cleaning should not be considered optional. It keeps you from breathing in allergens and ensures that no mold or mildew has developed.
Improper Installation
If your AC is blowing cool air, but it’s not properly circulating, and your utility bills are skyrocketing, there is a good chance it was improperly installed. Now is the time to call a professional.
If you had someone who is not a professional attempt to install the AC (or, perhaps you attempted the task yourself), don’t delay in hiring an expert now to do the necessary repairs, and to do them correctly.
In the event you had a professional do the installation and the work was improper, he or she should exercise good workmanship and will undoubtedly conduct the necessary repairs right away. Whatever your AC-related needs are, give Laney's Inc. a call at (701) 237-0543 to schedule an appointment. And remember - don’t lose your cool over a malfunctioning AC.
When you institute proper AC repair and maintenance, you’re really doing the best thing for the planet. Not only does a properly maintained HVAC system reduce contaminants released into our atmosphere, but it also can reduce your energy consumption, thus lowering the amount of electricity you’re using from the grid and lessening essentially the number of natural resources being consumed.
Ensure your thermostat is consistently set at a comfortable temperature, but not too cold, thus causing your AC unit to run more often.
It’s never been more important to keep updated with the newest technology than with your AC system. Even with proper AC maintenance, if you’re running off of an antiquated system and non-user-friendly thermostat, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.
At this time of the year, while we seem to be hovering somewhere between winter and spring, the temperature does have a tendency to fluctuate from day to day.
Is that heater you have a hunk of junk? Did it give out and ruin your nice warm plans for the long weekend? If that is your current situation, don’t sweat it!
Looking for a practical way that you can help keep your HVAC system in good working order? Then write this down:
Smelling gas in your home is never a good thing, so if you smell something like rotten eggs or sulfur, you need to get out of the house right away. 
The mustiness you are smelling from your AC unit or heater is likely being caused by the mold which has taken up residence somewhere in your HVAC system. There are a few different places the moisture causing the musty smell is coming from. 
A burning smell from your HVAC unit can mean many things. If you are turning on your heater for the first time this season, for example, and the smell only lasts a few minutes, the system is probably just burning off the dust that has accumulated on the heat exchanger over the past few months.
There are several different reasons you might want to replace both HVAC devices in your home. These include:
Sometimes it's a bad idea to replace both your furnace and air conditioner at the same time. Installing both devices at once will always come at an extra cost. If you're not in a position to spend that much money, you shouldn't.
Perhaps the best piece of advice we can give is to get a professional opinion before making any purchases. Get an HVAC technician to inspect both your furnace and air conditioner to determine their state.