Is Your Air Conditioner Overheating? Check These 3 Common Causes

There’s a lot to like about summer, but being hot and sweaty in your own home isn’t one of them.

Do you know what else doesn’t like to overheat? Your air conditioner. When there’s a problem with the system, it can be forced to work harder than normal. This can cause the unit to overheat, trip the circuit breaker, and turn off.

If you’re running into this issue, or want to know how to avoid it from happening in your home, then you need to know the three most common reasons an AC would overheat.

  1. The air filter needs to be replaced. One of the easier and cheapest ways to keep your air conditioner working properly is by changing the air filter on a regular basis. When the filter gets dirty, the AC has to work harder to push air through it. This causes extra wear and tear on the unit, and can cause it to overheat. Replace the old filter with a new one and you can be sure this isn’t an issue.
  2. The refrigerant level is low. When the AC doesn’t have enough refrigerant, it won’t be able to cool the house to the desired temperature. And if it does, it will have to work extra hard to do so.The refrigerant is part of a closed system, so if the level is low that usually means you have a leak. An HVAC professional will be able to find and repair the leak, then return the refrigerant to the proper level.Important note: If your air conditioning was manufactured before 2010, it likely uses R-22 refrigerant, also known as Freon. Starting in 2020, the EPA is phasing out the sale of R-22, which will make it more expensive to add refrigerant to your existing AC.
  3. Condenser coils need to be cleaned. Since part of your air conditioner is outside, it is affected by weather and debris that get scattered around. So it’s not surprising that parts of the unit get dirty. This especially affects the condenser coils, which are tubes that transport the refrigerant.When the condenser coils are dirty, it becomes much harder for the AC to transfer heat from inside to outside. Since the house isn’t being cooled as quickly as it should, the AC ends up running longer, which increases the likelihood that it will overheat and turn off. With a yearly AC maintenance plan, your condenser coils will be cleaned and you shouldn’t have this problem.

The last thing you want this summer is for your AC to break down. Keep everyone comfortable and happy by scheduling an air conditioner tune-up with Robert B. Payne, Inc. Call us today at (540) 322-1098.