Find Out What Those Noises Might Mean
When it comes to temperatures in Lancaster, CA, and nearby, September is a month of transition. Those hot summer days and nights are gradually giving way to cooler fall weather. So it’s important to look ahead to prepare your home heating system for the colder months to come. But it’s also important to look back to be sure to provide your air conditioner with the end-of-season TLC it deserves—especially if your once reliable, quiet AC has deteriorated recently into a fickle, noisy AC system.
Of course, there are still plenty of hot summer days left, which is another reason to pay attention to any strange noises your air conditioner is making. Trying to decipher those sounds yourself? Here are eight sounds you might be hearing and what they could mean:
- Banging: This is probably your AC compressor. The compressor’s job is to distribute the refrigerant that removes excess heat from your home. As your AC ages, it’s not unusual for parts inside of the compressor to break loose. These loose parts cause the banging, typically when you first start up your system.
- Hissing: A hissing sound could mean you have a serious air duct leak. Other possible causes: a malfunctioning expansion valve or an air filter that isn’t compatible with your AC system.
- Humming: The problem here could be a defective contactor relay switch. “What’s that?,” you ask. We’ll tell you! The contactor relay switch starts your outdoor condenser unit when your thermostat tells it to do so. This is an electrical problem that you can’t afford to ignore. Call the Lancaster HVAC bears that care—Arctic Air—before this problem becomes more serious and more expensive to fix!
- Buzzing: This is another sound that should never be ignored. Causes include: a refrigerant leak, loose or unbalanced fan blades in your outdoor condenser unit, dirty condenser coils, loose components, a faulty outdoor fan motor or a problem with the copper lines connected to your AC unit.
- Rattling: Rattling can be caused by a relatively minor problem: loose leaves, sticks or dirt in your outdoor condenser unit that can be easily cleared away. But rattling can also be the result of a much more serious problem: a damaged electrical contactor, which should be repaired as soon as possible to avoid damage to the compressor.
- Screeching: The fan motor in your outdoor condenser is often to blame for this annoying clatter. Screeching could also be caused by a broken motor in the compressor, damaged blower fan inside your house, damaged bearings in your fan motor or a faulty fan belt. If the screeching is very loud, you should turn off your unit and schedule an appointment with us, your Lancaster HVAC experts.
- Clicking: When your AC system cycles on or off, it’s not unusual to hear a clicking sound. But when your system continuously makes this noise, something is not right. A malfunctioning thermostat could be to blame.
- Bubbling: Bubbling noises can be caused by excess moisture, holes, cracks or a blockage in your drainage pipe.
If your air conditioner is making any of these noises or failing to provide you with the cool comfort you deserve, give our team a call today! We love getting our paws into systems that need our fast, reliable, affordable AC repair!
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We’re also the Lancaster heating and air conditioning experts you can count on for exceptional AC replacements, installations and maintenance. Call us today at (661) 214-9160 or contact us through our website.