10 Signs Your Aircon Needs Servicing

Today, an air conditioner is one of the most valuable and essential appliances for an office or home, especially in hot, humid areas. In order to live comfortably in humid regions in Singapore, it is necessary that your aircon works properly. You must ensure your air conditioning unit is properly maintained and serviced on time to avoid future emergencies. 

Proper running of your aircon can ensure a reduction in the level of humidity and regulate the temperature of your place. It makes your room cooler than external environment by transferring internal heat to the environment outside the room. Though a good aircon may not need servicing for quite a long time but sometimes people overlook the servicing of their air conditioner to save some money. However, this carelessness can cost them many times in case of improper working of their aircon. So instead of waiting for a breakdown you should call a technician for servicing your air conditioner by evaluating its needs through certain simple signs. 

Signs that tell you that your aircon needs servicing

Reduction in performance
If your aircon has started taking more time to cool your room to a certain level then it is an obvious indicator that it needs servicing. Your air conditioner should cool your room in shorter time if it is working normally. You can compare its today’s performance with its performance after last service or when it was new to come to a final decision about its servicing needs. So you should call an aircon service to check your unit if it is performing low as compared to earlier. Its performance can also be affected if it is run consistently for long time.

Aircon needs to run nearly continuously
An aircon that stops automatically after cooling the room at a certain temperature and starts again when the room temperature starts going up can be considered as the best-performing device. But if it has to run almost consistently until you stop it manually then there must be some problem in your unit. There can be two reasons for the continuous running of your aircon – spoiling of its temperature sensors or a reduction in its cooling capability. You can avoid increasing bills of power consumption you should call a technician for its immediate servicing. 

Excessive or unusual noises
Almost every air conditioner, whether it is new or properly serviced, produces some kind of noise while running. But with consistent use if this noise becomes weird then there must be some problem in it. Its indoor as well as outdoor units can start making strange noises either due to loosening or wearing of some of their parts. So when you notice such strange noises then you should understand that it needs servicing for smooth and proper running. 

Frequent turning on and off of the unit
Normally good air conditioners turn on and off automatically to regulate the temperature of the room efficiently but if turns on and off after very short intervals then certainly there must be some problem in its mechanism. Frequent shoring out of circuit breakers or fuses can also be a good reason to call on the technician immediately to service your aircon. 

Lesser flow of air from the vents
If the amount of air flowing out of the vents of your aircon decreases then it can be clear sign for the need of servicing by your cooling device. You must call on a technician to check your unit and service it to avoid deterioration of its other parts. 

Accumulation of dirt on the outdoor unit
If your aircon is not working properly then you can also check around it to know whether its working is affected by the dirt accumulated on its outdoor unit or not. Consistent accumulation of dirt on the outer unit can increase the future bill of repair of your air conditioner. But you can avoid it and improve the functioning of your unit just by brushing away the dust and dirt from its outdoor unit. 

Water leaks or moisture near the unit
If you see a kind of leak in your air conditioner, whether it is due to moisture or leaking water, then you must call an air conditioning maintenance expert immediately. There can be several reasons for this type of problem, including leakage of refrigerant, faulty working of the condenser, or a problem in the drain pipe. You should not ignore any kind of leak in your air conditioner as it can considerably damage its surrounding structure including ventilation, air conditioning system as well as heating system. 

Considerable increase the electricity bill 
Significant increase in monthly bill of power consumption is another important sign that your air conditioner needs immediate servicing. Your aircon will consume more electricity when it has some problem than it was new or serviced at proper time. You can check unexpected rise in your electricity bill just by servicing your air conditioning unit regularly.

Bad smells
You should call the aircon service provider immediately if bad smells are noticed from the air of your air conditioner as it has to purify the air instead of spoiling it. Bad smell in the air of your cooling system can be due to various reasons including inability of its filters to keep the airborne allergens out, growth of microbes including moulds on the unit or leakage of refrigerant. In such conditions it becomes more important to call the service provider immediately as none of these reasons is good for humans.

Increasing age of your air conditioner 
If your air conditioner is more than 10 years old even then it cannot work properly for long time even if it is serviced regularly and on time. An expert technician can advise you to replace it as it has the tendency to increase your repair bills due to its frequent breakdowns. In fact, aircon become less efficient in saving energy as they get old. Prolonged exposure to dust and dirt can also degrade their competence to cool your room efficiently. If it stops working properly next time, you should call the service provider immediately to decide whether to replace it with a new air conditioning unit.