There are certain problems you expect when you buy a new HVAC unit. You expect to change air filters on your AC and get annual maintenance, but what you may not expect are these issues. They range from strange to just downright unexpected, but they’re always a possibility.
Air conditioning repair in Brighton, NY is what solves these problems, though you can do some preventative maintenance to keep these issues at bay as well.
Rodents Eating Through Ductwork
During the winter months, your AC is off and your ductwork works for the furnace instead. When it’s frigid outside, especially here in NY, critters want to find the warmest place possible to survive the conditions. That often leads them to homes.
Your ductwork has the highest concentration of heat in your home (minus the furnace itself) where rodents can comfortably live. They’ll find a way into your home, chew through your ductwork, and try to nest inside of the ducts. This is bad for a number of reasons.
- Humidity Escapes: Warm air creeps into your attic and walls due to the duct leak, and the humidity in that air can promote the growth of mold.
- Poor Air Pressure: Your ductwork needs to maintain a certain level of air pressure in order to optimize airflow from your HVAC unit. Holes in the ductwork negatively impact the air pressure, which leads to our next point.
- You Waste Money on Heating: You spend more money trying to heat your home because less of that warm air actually reaches the destination.
- Increased Stress on Your Furnace: If less air reaches the destination, your furnace has to continue running to warm more air, causing it to run longer and undergo more wear and tear than necessary.
The Outdoor AC Cabinet Sinks Into the Ground
Your air conditioner cabinet is the outdoor part of your AC. It sits on a platform that’s designed to prevent it from sinking into the ground, while also keeping everything level for optimal operation.
However, the ground around your AC cabinet can have other plans. It can still try to sink the cabinet and its platform, which can also damage your drainage capabilities and force water to back up inside of your air conditioner.
External Water Damage
Water damage doesn’t have to come from inside of your AC or from rain in the cabinet outside–external leaks can make their way into the air conditioner and cause damage, too. This could be a kitchen sink leaking into an air intake vent, or a leaky outdoor faucet causing water to build up around the cabinet platform. The point is: don’t rule out external water sources as a contributing factor to air conditioner damage.
Uncommon, But Not Unheard of
Are you likely to run into these issues? No, but they’re still possibilities that happen across the country every day. Let’s hope that changing out air filters and recalibrating the thermostat are the least of your worries, but if not, we’re here to help you.
Contact Potter Heating Cooling & Plumbing today to schedule your air conditioner repair and ongoing maintenance.