With summer here in La Habra, CA, you need to watch your air conditioner very carefully for signs of trouble. The sooner you can spot a problem, the more readily and easily you can schedule repairs, and the less expensive those repairs tend to be. Among the issues to watch for its leaking refrigerant, which is very common, especially with older air conditioners. Refrigerant isn’t supposed to leak, but when it does, it results in higher bills, increased stress and eventually a serious breakdown elsewhere in the system. Here are five subtle yet definitive signs to look for to spot such a problem: (more…)
JC Mechanical Inc. Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning Repair’
5 Signs of Leaking AC Refrigerant
Monday, July 11th, 2016What Does Dripping Water Mean for My Air Conditioner?
Monday, June 13th, 2016With summer on the way here in Anaheim, CA, it’s time to keep a close eye on your air conditioner for potential problems. June gloom has spared us the worst of the heat so far this year, but it’s only a matter of time before those triple-digit temperatures hit us like a ton of bricks. Your air conditioner will need to run every day once summer begins in earnest, and the sooner you can spot signs of trouble, the more readily you can address it before it shuts your system down. (more…)
How to Respond to a Sudden AC Breakdown
Monday, June 6th, 2016No one likes to think about their air conditioner suddenly stopping in the middle of a heat wave. Orange, CA and similar nearby cities can often hit triple digits in June and July, and the prospect of going without an AC unit can be daunting indeed. But it does happen from time to time, and when it does, it helps to know exactly which steps to take. By responding calmly and quickly to an AC breakdown, you can prevent further damage and help get your system back online quickly. (more…)
How Can You Tell that Your AC Needs Repairs?
Monday, April 18th, 2016Here in La Habra, CA, we’ve already experienced our share of warm days in 2016, and they’re just going to get more and more frequent as time goes on. Nothing is worse than for your air conditioner to suffer a breakdown in the middle of a stifling heat wave, turning your home into an oven until it can get fixed. Our trained staff is happy to provide repairs for you, but we also believe that prevention is the best solution. If you can spot the signs of needing repair before a breakdown occurs, you can get a proper jump on the problem, and may even be able to save a little money since the damage in question will not have progressed so far. Here’s a quick list of ways you can tell that your AC needs repairs. (more…)
Should I Wait Until Summer Ends for Air Conditioning Repair?
Monday, August 17th, 2015Prudent homeowners in La Habra, CA, usually use the end of summer as a chance to perform maintenance duties on their air conditioners to correct any little problems that cropped up over the past few months and to get a jump on next year’s cooling season. It’s a wise policy, but it sometimes leads to a less wise one: letting more serious repairs sit until summer is over and continuing to run the air conditioner in the interim. Many problems don’t shut the air conditioner down outright, but they do create some significant issues which can cost you quite a bit if you wait until the summer ends to schedule air conditioning repair. (more…)
Possible Causes of Low Air Flow in My Air Conditioner
Monday, August 3rd, 2015Your air conditioner serves two basic functions in performing its duties: cooling the air, and then blowing that air through the ductwork that extends throughout your home. Many air conditioning repair calls focus on the first part of the equation, but the second is just as important. After all, what good is the ability to cool the air if you can’t pass it on to the space in your home? Here in La Habra, CA, our mild temperatures can mitigate some of that, but you still need to pay attention when the air flow from your air conditioner drops. It can cost you a great deal in wasted energy, as well as increasing the strain on your system overall. There are numerous possible causes of low air flow in your air conditioner, a few of which are listed below: (more…)
3 Causes of Short Cycling in Your Air Conditioner
Monday, May 25th, 2015Short cycling is the term used to describe an air conditioner that turns off too quickly only to turn on again a few minutes later. It’s damaging because the system uses much more energy to start up and turn off than it does to simply run. When your system is short cycling, you’re using up far more energy than you should—raising your monthly bills in the process—and the wear and tear involved can result in a serious breakdown if you’re not careful. La Habra, CA has its share of heat waves in the summer, and the last thing you want is for something to go wrong with your system just when you need it the most. Here are 3 causes of short cycling in your air conditioner that a trained technician can fix. (more…)
How Your Thermostat May Damage Your Cooling This Summer
Monday, May 4th, 2015It is easy to overlook the importance of the thermostat when it comes to keeping your home comfortable in both warm and cool weather. The small unit is designed to appear as unobtrusive as possible on the wall and is minuscule compared to the size of the rest of the HVAC system. But you cannot take the performance of the thermostat for granted, since it can have an immense negative impact on the cooling in your home during summer. Here are some of the ways that the thermostat may be an issue—and what you can do about it. (more…)
Why Is Ice Forming on My Air Conditioner? (And What Should I Do About It?)
Monday, April 13th, 2015Your air conditioning has probably already started its long period of work that will last through the summer and into the fall. Make sure you keep a close watch on your system during these early days of spring so you can catch any malfunctions and have them repaired before the heavy Southern California summer weather begins.
The Basics of How Central ACs Work to Keep You Cool
Friday, April 3rd, 2015The modern electro-mechanical air conditioning system was invented in 1902. The first home ACs appeared in the 1920s, when new refrigerant blends made them safer to use. In the 1950s, air conditioning systems started to spread rapidly through the country, and now they are a standard part of the comfort system of most homes. Life in Southern California would be difficult indeed without the power of air conditioning to help us during the long hot seasons.
No matter what services you need to stay cool through the year, JC Mechanical Inc. can provide it. We handle installation, replacement, maintenance and air conditioning repair in Irvine, CA and throughout Southern California.
Air Conditioning 101
Air conditioning systems are something we encounter almost every day, but ironically few people know exactly how they work. Here’s a quick rundown on the essentials of the electro-mechanical central air conditioner:
A central AC consists of two units: the outdoor condenser and the indoor evaporator. Inside the condenser cabinet is a device called the compressor. The compressor places liquid refrigerant (a chemical blend that changes easily from gas to liquid and back) under pressure until it transforms into a hot gas. The high-pressure gas moves to the nearest low-pressure area, which in this case is the coils of the condenser cabinet. A fan draws warm outdoor air across the coils, which causes condensation to occur. Condensation releases heat to the outdoors, lowering the temperature of the refrigerant.
The refrigerant now moves toward the indoor evaporator cabinet. It passes through an expansion valve that lowers its pressure and causes the refrigerant to become even cooler. The cold refrigerant moves through the coils of the evaporator, and a blower fan sends indoor air across the cold coils. Evaporation occurs and the refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air. The now cooled-down air continues into the ventilation system and reaches the various rooms of the house. The refrigerant, now once more in liquid form, returns to the compressor where the cycle begins again.
In order for an air conditioner to carry out this process of heat exchange, all its components must work in peak condition. Broken fans, leaking refrigerant, or a hard-starting compressor will lead to a drop in cooling effectiveness. If your air conditioner begins to encounter trouble keeping your home cool, don’t attempt to fix the problem yourself. The complexity of modern ACs requires that only trained technicians do the repairs.
You can rely on JC Mechanical Inc. if you require air conditioning repair in Irvine, CA. We have emergency service available for those times when the repair work cannot wait. Make us the first company you call the next time you need excellent air conditioning service.