After the wettest winter on record and a long, cold spring, Western Washington is experiencing some of the driest weather in its history this summer and residents are looking for any way possible to keep comfortable. In fact, the dry streak is approaching the all-time high of 51 straight days without rain, which was set in 1951, leaving people in Greater Seattle and Tacoma with very little relief. While at the same time the National Weather Service is predicting continuing dry and hot weather in the foreseeable future.

Combine the dry weather with the scorching temperatures that area officials expect in the coming days, and it is easy to see why it is an absolute necessity to have your air conditioner functioning at its full capacity. Have an expert look at your air conditioning unit before these incredibly high temperatures hit to ensure that you can keep your indoor air quality optimal this summer.

If you notice that your heating and air conditioning isn’t working as it should, give Hunt’s Services a call at 253-533-7500 to have one of our technicians have a look and fix the problem.

Some symptoms of an HVAC or air conditioner repair include:

1) No Cold Air

Perhaps the most alarming symptom of an air conditioning problem is finding that you don’t have any cold air coming out of your vents. When you run into this issue, you will have turned the unit on, only to find warm air coming out of the vents, much like you had turned on your furnace.

This situation certainly isn’t ideal, but the good news is that it is usually a simple problem for a professional to fix. The likely cause is a refrigerant leak, as this refrigerant is what cools the air before the unit pushes it through the vents. When refrigerant levels dip below a certain level, the unit won’t have the ability to do its job any longer, causing your house to heat up.

Luckily, a heating and cooling technician can fix this leak and replace the refrigerant, so you won’t have to worry about it being a long term issue this summer in the Greater Seattle area.

2) Squeaking Noises

Keep an ear out when you turn your air conditioner on this summer because it could provide potential clues regarding a problem. For example, if you notice that your air conditioner is squeaking or squealing, the fan belt could be the culprit. What the noise is doing is letting you know that you have a problem and that you could end up with a service disruption.

This issue is easy for a technician to fix, as it involves removing the old belt and replacing it with a new one. A broken belt is also an issue that you can catch ahead of time if you put yourself on a maintenance schedule. The gist of this plan is that you will have a professional inspect your air conditioner every year to ensure that the fan belt and other components are in good shape.

3) Poor Air Flow

Check your air flow and make sure that it is at an acceptable level. You could run into an issue where the air coming out of your vents is cold, but there isn’t enough of it to cool the house the way you had envisioned when you purchased the air conditioner.

Poor air flow is a common problem that develops in air conditioners over the years and is usually the result of a dirty filter. Much like a furnace, your air conditioners requires its filters to be changed every six to 12 months, depending on how often you use it. A duct cleaning might also be necessary. Signing up for scheduled maintenance on your unit is a good way to make sure that your filters are always new, your ducts are clean, and that you have the proper air flow.

4) Not Cooling Enough

An air conditioner that seems to be cooling the home, but is not quite up to your standards, could require various repairs. For starters, the lines that carry the refrigerant between the different parts of your unit might not have the proper insulation. This problem often arises due to the insulation wearing out over the years, which means that the technician will have to put a new sleeve over them.

Even an air conditioner that is running at full capacity could have problems. A potential issue is that your air conditioner might not be large or powerful enough to cool your home during a heatwave. While heatwaves are not common in Puget Sound compared to our neighbors to the South, you might consider upgrading or even replacing your air conditioning unit if it has outlived its usefulness and reliability.

5) Turning On and Off

You might notice that your air conditioner switches on and off throughout the day, regardless of the weather outside. This issue is common in homes where the thermostat is in a less than optimal position, as external components could be influencing the temperature in that part of the house, causing the malfunction.

All you will have to do if you find yourself in this position is have your technician move your thermostat, as this should lead to your air conditioner or heat pumps performing at a higher level.

Beating the Heat

We could end up with temperatures in the triple digits this summer, and if this occurs, you’ll be glad that you had your air conditioner serviced ahead of time. Do your part by having your HVAC system or heat pump looked at by a professional, so that you can keep yourself comfortable this summer.

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