Do you feel your AC is trying to communicate some message through weird sounds? There is a chance it is about to go out of service sooner or later.
Loud noise, sudden electricity bill increases, abnormal vibrations, etc., are some common indicators.
Like all other electrical appliances, air conditioners also have a specific life span after which it starts showing slight signs, including sudden powering off, increased sounds and less cooling, increased leakage, vibrations, etc.
These signs eventually lead to complete expiry or permanent damage.
Things like furniture and grocery are easy to bring to notice when they are about to be expired. Still, electrical appliances, including your AC, either suddenly go out of order or show little signs that can only be fixed to a certain limit.
After this limit, you will need to exchange your appliance.
Here are these signs listed for you:
- It Starts Blowing Warm Air
- Sky-High Electricity Bills
- Unpleasant Sounds Become More Frequent
- The Trouble With the Circuit Breaker
- The Increased Cost of Repairing
- Leakage of Refrigerant
- Heavy Vibrations on Starting the System
- Impaired Remote and Consol Coordination
There are many signs that your AC is about to get permanently damaged. Let’s take you through each sign individually, so you can timely repair your AC and save it from permanent damage.
8 Signs That Your AC System Is Dying
Without further ado, let’s dig deeper into all eight signs that your air conditioner gives away before dying out.
1. It Starts Blowing Warm Air
If your AC is about to expire, you will notice a sudden blow of warm air during the cooling mode. It can also stop the cooling when turned on for more than one to two hours.
This happens only for a few minutes, and there is just a slight change in overall room temperature which usually goes unnoticed unless you are sitting directly in the of the AC fan.
2. Sky-High Electricity Bills
Suppose you have not installed any new appliance or changed your routine usage, but you notice a drastic increase in your electricity bill.
This could indicate that your AC is under much pressure, leading to increased unit consumption. This change is always coupled with other noticeable changes.
You can test this by lowering the usage for a month and comparing it to your previous running hours and units used in the month.
3. Unpleasant Sounds Become More Frequent
Your AC starts making different noises when it is worn out. This is a very typical and easily noticeable indicator. This change can either be in the intensity of sound or the type of sound.
This is usually a shift from a slight humming sound to a loud buzzing, fluctuating throughout the day and intense during the late hours.
4. The Trouble With the Circuit Breaker
Due to an inconsistent power supply to the battery, the circuit breaker loses control, and you will see that it starts to trip occasionally. This is a very serious signal.
It not only shows the inefficiency of the appliance but also puts the entire system at risk since it is a circuit breaker’s job to protect the AC from over or underflow of electricity.
If it fails to maintain a proper circuit, the system can catch fire and cause an explosion.
5. The Increased Cost of Repairing
If you are tired of calling a repair staff every other day because of your AC malfunction, you must buy a new one.
Instead of buying every single part one by one as they keep going out of order, save yourself this extra time and fatigue because this will not fix the issue for long enough.
The entire machinery is interconnected, so as long as even a single old part remains connected to the system, it will lead to a chain reaction of malfunctioning.
6. Leakage of Refrigerant
This part does the most important job: converting warm into cool air. Due to increased pressure or old ruptured pipes, it will start flowing out. You will notice moist walls where the air conditioner is installed.
It can also flow from the back so that you can notice it from both sides. If you notice that your compressor dries fast and affects the cooling, you should know these three things are interlinked.
7. Heavy Vibrations on Starting the System
Vibrations are only normal for a few seconds when the fan operates before cooling starts.
It should not be loud enough to be heard all the time, and you if hear it becoming more than a light humming sound along with the vibrating motion in the AC, then you need to be concerned.
These vibrations increase prominently during the start and end, meaning the unit takes more than the normal power to operate.
8. Impaired Remote and Consol Coordination
When the AC starts acting out, it shows poor coordination with its internal compartments and fails to follow the remote commands. You will notice this failure after changing your remote control or its batteries.
The capacity of your air conditioner decreases to a point where it starts losing control over the given commands, or its sensors become too weak to capture the given signals.
Quick Recap
If you have been using the same AC for more than ten years, then it is already a sign that you should now consider bringing a new one; otherwise, you will have to face a plethora of problems starting from abnormal sounds and vibrations to as severe as circuit breaker malfunction which not only destroys the system but also is quite hazardous for people in the room.
Bad smells, wetness around the AC, escalating bills, etc., are some major indications for replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Average Lifespan of an AC?
Although it depends on the usage per year, an AC normally works fine for about ten to fifteen years. After that, it starts causing trouble but can go up to five more years.
What Are Some Major Signs That Warn About the Sudden Expiry of My AC?
Sudden power loss, very low cooling, leaking of fluids inside the room from the exhaust, and bad smell after a few minutes of turning on are major indicators of internal damage to AC machinery.