Home Improvement

What is an Air Conditioning Emergency?

Summers are HOT. Summers in Texas? Like all things Texas, they’re BIG-TIME HOT. When the summer months come rolling around every year, you need your air conditioner to function at its top capacity.

Unfortunately, breakdowns happen, and they never happen during a convenient time, and all too often they happen outside of normal business hours. So the question then becomes, ‘What is an Air Conditioning Emergency?’ At what point do you throw caution to the wind and pick up the phone in the middle of a July Texas night or wait until the next business day? It’s obviously up to you when to make the call to a professional air conditioning repair service, but here are a few guidelines to help you.

No Air Flow

When the unit is set to turn on but there is no air flow, this could be a symptom of a major system problem. The potential causes are numerous! You could always try some DIY troubleshooting tips, but if those don’t work, a professional will be able to fully diagnose the problem.

Unusual Smell

A burning odor can be a sign of an electrical failure within the A/C system. Immediately turn the system off and call a repairman if you smell burning while trying to run your air conditioning unit.

Refrigerant Leak

If you check on your A/C unit and you see a puddle underneath it, it is most likely a refrigerant leak. If the unit is over eight years old, DO NOT touch the liquid as it could a potentially outdated type of freon. Again, shut off the system immediately and contact a repairman.

Comfort

This is probably the most important factor in determining whether or not to call a repairman in the middle of the night or to wait to call until normal business hours. You could try to mitigate the lack of cool air by opening windows or turning on some fans and sweating it out through the night.  If the sweltering Texas heat is too much to bear, don’t hesitate to pick up that phone and get a professional to fix it right away!

Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call an A/C professional if your air conditioning breaks down. Remember, you might think you know how to fix it, but a professional will be able to diagnose and properly fix your air conditioning without guesswork.

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