Five Ways To Sense Check Your Air Conditioning

1. Look

Without even taking machinery apart, it’s a warning sign when visible parts of your system don’t look quite right on the surface. Are parts loose, missing, blocked or can you see obvious leaks? Also take a look at your occupants or products being cooled… are they suffering because the air con is not maintaining the optimum temperature? There could even be an issue with the thermostat itself so have a look at the display for anything unusual.

2. Listen

Unusually loud, or different (squealing, grating, grinding) noises during operation can mean that fan motor bearings are starting to fail, the belt has come off or there’s a partially blocked condensate pump. Increased refrigerant noises (like hissing or gargling) coupled with reduced performance may indicate your system has refrigerant flow issues - potentially a refrigerant shortage or faulty valve.

3. Touch

Damp machinery? Moisture leaks or pools of water, no matter how small, could signal danger. It could be a refrigerant leak, which is serious and needs immediate attention from a qualified engineer. Less worrying would be a fault with the draining of condensation, resulting in small water puddles. This does need fixing as can lead to issues like fungi/mold, but is unlikely to be an emergency situation. Unusually hot or cold surfaces also indicate that your AC or ventilation is not happy.

4. Smell

Your air con or ventilation is not meant to be smelly, so take note if it starts to produce unpleasant odours. It could be an acute problem or it could be old age. Over time, even a well-maintained system can eventually reach a point where it needs a strip down, deep clean and sanitisation of internal components and airways that are not normally accessible during routine servicing. This can help to improve airflow, efficiency and performance that may have been gradually declining over the years. A burning smell should never be ignored, however, indicating damaged wires for example.

5. Common sense

The other sense we haven’t mentioned is taste, but we don’t recommend tasting any part of an AC or ventilation to check that it’s working! However, as obvious as it sounds, a major clue that your system is malfunctioning is simply when you discover there’s no cold air, distinct lack of consistent air flow or power. It may not be so obvious if it happens gradually over time due to blocked air filters, blocked condenser or a refrigerant shortage - all things that should be regularly checked by an engineer.

It can be hard to know if your system has a temporary glitch, a serious fault or is being affected by external influences (power, wifi, drainage, weather for example) but with regular servicing and preventative maintenance from Adcock you are more likely to nip potential problems in the bud. You’ll also benefit from our fast response 24/7 call out team, every day of the year.

Trust your instincts. If you sense there’s a problem with your AC or ventilation then there probably is, but don’t panic – the sooner you contact us the sooner we can get it running safely and smoothly again.

To find out more or book a service, please contact us and we will put you in touch with your local Adcock engineer.