Air Conditioning · Kitchener

6 Signs Your AC Needs Attention

Six signs a Kitchener air conditioner is heading for trouble — usually weeks before it quits on the first 33-degree day.

Air conditioners rarely die without warning. In Kitchener, the warning usually comes in June and the failure comes in the first heat wave of July. Here's what to watch for.

1. Warm or weak air from the vents

Weak airflow points to a clogged filter, a dirty indoor coil or a blower problem. Air that's moving but not cold points to refrigerant, a capacitor or the outdoor unit. Either way, it's not going to fix itself.

2. Short-cycling

The outdoor unit starts, runs a few minutes, stops, and repeats. Sometimes it's an oversized unit — common in Kitchener homes where the old system was sized by guesswork. Sometimes it's a failing capacitor or a refrigerant problem. Both waste power and wear the compressor.

3. The hydro bill jumped

Same weather, same habits, a noticeably higher Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro bill: the system is working harder than it should. Dirty coils and low charge are the usual reasons.

4. Noises and smells

Grinding or squealing is a motor bearing. Clicking at startup that doesn't lead to running is often the contactor or capacitor. A musty smell from the vents is a wet coil or drain pan; a burning smell is electrical — turn it off.

5. Ice or water around the unit

Ice on the refrigerant line or the indoor coil means low airflow or low charge. Water pooling at the furnace is a blocked condensate drain — and a float switch that will shut the AC down when it fills.

6. It's over twelve to fifteen years old

Especially if it's an R-22 system. It may still run, but its efficiency has fallen, parts are pricier, and a heat-wave failure is more likely. A spring tune-up will tell you honestly how much life is left.

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