When you hear an unusual sound in your house, it can be alarming – and even more so when you realize that the unusual sound is coming from your air conditioner. As the largest and likely most expensive appliance in your home, you want your air conditioner to be in the best shape possible without any problems.
Don’t be tempted to ignore unusual AC sounds, especially if you hear them infrequently. Instead, give our team a call for heat pump repair in Eugene. Keep reading to learn more about sounds that can be dangerous when they’re coming from your air conditioner.
Hissing
You may hear hissing for a number of reasons. The most common reason for hissing is that you have a refrigerant leak. The refrigerant in your AC cycles between being a gas and a liquid, depending on where it is in the cooling cycle. If there is a hole in your refrigerant line and the refrigerant is in its gas form, you may hear a hissing sound.
Hissing can also be caused by small holes in your ductwork. When air blows through your ductwork to reach your home, it can make a hissing sound as it escapes through these holes that are sometimes as small as a pinprick. You may not think this is a big deal, but it can cost you a lot on your monthly energy bills as these holes get bigger and bigger.
Bubbling
Refrigerant can also leak out when it is in its liquid form. When this happens, you are more likely to hear a bubbling sound than a hissing sound. Either one is a red flag because it means you have a leak in your refrigerant line. This is not only dangerous for your air conditioner, but also for your home and family. Refrigerant can damage other parts of your AC, surrounding areas of your home and burn your skin if you accidentally touch it.
Dripping
It’s completely normal for there to be water in your air conditioner. Your heat pump removes some humidity from the air to transfer it outside as part of the cooling process. When the humidity condenses together into droplets it runs out of your home and the condensate drain line. But, if you begin to hear water dripping, that’s a sign that you have a clog in your condensate drain line and water is leaking out and into your home.
Screeching
If you ever hear a screeching sound coming from your air conditioner, it’s not a sound that you can easily ignore. In fact, when you hear it you probably want to turn off your air conditioner right away and give our team a call. Screeching can mean that there is something wrong with one of the motors inside of your heat pump or a fan blade may be bent and scraping along a side. Either way, it’s a major problem that can quickly lead to more damage if it is left alone.
Rattling
Rattling inside your air conditioner can happen for a couple of reasons. It is completely normal to hear gentle rattling once in a while from your duct system because the thin sheets of metal can expand and contract with temperature changes. However, if you hear rattling coming from the ductwork all the time, that can mean some of your ductwork is loose and needs to be secured.
Rattling coming from anywhere else in your air conditioner can mean that a small part is loose and knocking around inside of the system. Either problem is one that you want to get addressed right away.
Your comfort is our business! Comfort Flow Heating serves all of Oregon, so contact our team today to schedule your appointment.
