Sounds You Don’t Want to Hear Your Commercial AC Make

When you live somewhere that gets as hot as it does here, it goes without saying that businesses and commercial spaces need powerful and efficient cooling systems, and they need them to operate well on a daily basis. The peak of summer may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean warm temperatures are over, and therefore it’s vital that you keep an eye out in case your commercial AC started experiencing problems.

Or rather, you should keep an ear out–that’s right, one of the most common signs that something is wrong with an air conditioner is strange noises. Now, we get it, many if not most commercial air conditioners are on the rooftop, far away from a hearing distance. If, however, you can hear your commercial AC, the following noises are what you should listen for–and if you hear them you should give our team a call right away.

Short-Cycling

Whether it’s for a residential or commercial space, short cycling is one of the most obvious signs that something is amiss with an air conditioner. This problem is indicated by the sound of a compressor turning on and off rapidly–every couple of minutes–rather than running in regular 15-minute intervals.

Short cycling is not only the symptom of a problem but the cause of future problems too, such as cutting down on your air conditioner’s ability to circulate chilled air.

Short cycling also increases the frequency and accumulation of wear and tear on the system overall. Prolonged short cycling can cause parts of your air conditioning system to wear down and fail faster than they otherwise would. If this issue is allowed to continue, it will cut down on the lifespan of the system.

Grinding

Grinding, also referred to as the sound of metal on metal, coming from an air conditioning system often indicates a problem with the air handlers, the part of a cooling system that’s responsible for circulating air throughout the dwelling. Moving that much air creates friction, so the air handler motors contain lubricated bearings to help them run smoothly.

A natural part of wear and tear is that these motor bearings wear down over time, which causes the friction in the system to increase. If you or someone in your building does hear grinding coming from the commercial AC, it’s important that you contact our professionals for repairs ASAP. The bears in the air handler motor need to be replaced before they fail completely, causing the motor to burn out.

Hissing

If you hear a hissing noise coming from your air conditioner, you likely have air bubbles in the refrigerant line. This means that you have a leak, which can be a much more serious problem than you probably even realize. Centralized air conditioning systems rely on a set amount (charge) of refrigerant to operate as they’re meant to.

Leaks will deplete the system’s refrigerant supply, causing a significant decline in output. Eventually, this will lead to the refrigerant level dropping low enough that your commercial AC can break down completely.

Contact Parker Services Inc for professional Tallahassee, FL commercial AC services.

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