Residential HVAC is one of the most common products, just like every other electronics and home appliances. There are common issues everyone faces. It’s essential to understand that these problems are common and not panic when they occur in your home.
While some of these issues are simply a matter of cleaning coils and filters, matters like this can be solved by home users themselves. Still, because they lack the knowledge, they might not notice this on time, and many of these problems, if not fixed on time, can develop into a bigger problem over time. This article will discuss some of the most common issues or concerns that most home users experience with residential HVAC.
Water leaks
Almost all HAVC produces condensate; drained pipes are mostly used to ensure proper water drainage. But the homeowner can as well help keep the drain lines clean by pouring bleach down periodically. Other sources for the leakage can be the collector box, heat exchanger, or evaporator drain pan.
System making noise
Most residential HVAC units make a starting noise, and then another sound hum through their cycles, and they often make a clicking noise when they shut down. All these noises are familiar, but the following noise is not, but we will explain what they mean:
- Low, consistent humming while the fan is not running: the motors fan that seizes up and is not replaced often make such humming noise, although this issue can be the compressor’s failure.
- Squealing: when the noise is from outside, it might be the condenser’s bearing, and it might be the blower motor if the noise is from indoor. This is very bad and should be replaced before it worsens; it can lead to significant damage.
- Vibration hums: this sound often occurs when something is loose in the condensing unit, such as the fan motor mounts or the cabinet. But you can stop this noise by quickly tightening the fasteners or replacing foam rubber between the rubbing parts to stop the noise.
- Sharp buzzing noise: in this situation, the condensing units buzz initially, but if this buzzing persists, the AC won’t start, this indicates a bad start relay or capacitor.
Improper air balance: there are situations where some rooms cool more than the other, which might be because the dampers are not well balanced. Heated and cold air is supposed to go through your vents, using a series of ducts before it reaches each room; dampers help control this by reducing airflow in one line and allowing more well-conditioned airflow other room. So the moment you start experiencing improper air balance, this might be the cause, you can quickly call your maintenance company to check this out on time.
Thermostat failure: when you have a thermostat failure, you seem to overthink the situation, thinking its possible a fault with the whole HAVC system. The thermostat regulates the timing and amount of the hot and cold air your HAVC unit produce. These might often lead to temperature fluctuations.
Mechanical wear and tear: the HAVC system depends on many components, the unit performance might be affected by some regular wear and tear issues of the parts. This may include belts and bearing, resulting in overheating, inadequate heating, and low airflow problems. Maintenances such as checking the worn out or stretched belts, oiling major parts and motors are also necessary.
Over time, home users who pay adequate attention to their appliances will get to understand the simple issues that most of their devices develop; HAVC units are not any different; you can find solutions to some of this issues as we have stated in the article, some of this issues must be reported to your maintenance company so that they can pay attention to them when they come for their scheduled maintenance.
