Aging AC System? Common Repair Issues Homeowners Must Consider

As inflation continues to worsen, many households across the nation are experiencing the uncomfortable strain of paying sharply higher prices at both the grocery store and the gas pump. With these costs expected to continue their upward trajectory in the coming months, many of these same families may need to postpone plans to make major upgrades to their homes, such as replacing an aging heating and central air conditioning system. If your family is one of the many that will be continuing to use an older, but still functional air conditioning system this summer, here are a few of the common repair issues you should consider.  

Leaks in the refrigerant system

Age can make your air conditioning system prone to issues with leaks in the refrigerant system. Older systems may have developed crimps or stress cracks in delicate refrigerant lines that cause them to weaken and form tiny leaks that slowly cause refrigerant levels to drop. Homeowners may not notice that a problem is developing until the system is no longer able to produce cool air or when visible clues occur, such as the development of ice on the evaporator coils. 

Problems with the blower system

Another common repair issue that homeowners may need to address when continuing to utilize an aging air conditioning system concerns the fans and blower system. AC systems use one fan to blow across the evaporator coils to produce and move cool air and another fan in the condenser to discharge the heat collected from the inside of the home.

Both of these fans have bearings, belts, pulleys, and controls that are subject to wear or damage that could cause them to become less capable of performing their job or experience a complete failure. Developing issues with either fan can result in a reduction of cool airflow inside the home and an increasingly noisy operation. 

Issues with the condensate system

Condensate drain clogs and issues are another common problem that homeowners with aging air conditioning systems can experience. If the home is located in a humid climate, condensate issues are even more common due to the increased humidity in the air. Common reasons for the formation of condensate line clogs is when mold forms or debris is lodged inside the condensate line that interferes with the draining of the collected condensate from the AC system. 

To learn more about the common repair issues your older air conditioning system may experience, you should consider discussing your concerns with a local AC repair service contractor.