Most Common Air Conditioner Problems You Should Know About

There can be many reasons why your AC is not cooling as it should. Below are a few common reasons that this could be what you’re experiencing.

AC Blowing Hot or Warm Air

With Dubai and the rest of the UAE being in a part of the world with a very hot climate, the AC is exposed to many different factors that can damage or clog up your AC. The main reason for this is dust and sand, this can get into every crevice of your AC and clog your filters and outdoor units. 

This point is most commonly relevant if you live in a villa - Once your outdoor units become clogged, they can no longer expel the heat that then allows the unit to cool, this will cause it to blow warm/hot air inside your home. 

If you live in an apartment if you are experiencing a similar issue, this can be usually caused by a faulty actuator. An actuator is a part that controls the amount of chilled water getting to the unit, which then cools the unit and then in turn assists with the cooling in your apartment.

AC Not Working at all

This can be caused by a power issue, a fuse may have tripped which would just need to be turned back on or it could be something more complicated. In this case, the safest course of action would be to contact an AC maintenance professional to check the unit/units to find the cause of the fault or breakdown. Alternatively, the thermostat may have a power issue causing it to not power the unit on, this would be checked during a call out from an AC professional.

Leaking AC Unit

This issue can be caused by a number of things, the main issue being that the drain pipe is clogged and the drain tray is overflowing due to the water not being able to drain quickly enough. These clogs can be caused by stagnant water congealing with dust within the system and then forming a jelly-like substance that blocks the drain pipe, this is the main cause of leaking drain trays.

Another reason could be that the insulation around your chilled water line is damaged. This can cause the pipe to condensate and drip water onto your ceiling, potentially causing water damage and even mould.

Chilled Air Distribution Issue

In some cases, one AC unit can be cooling multiple rooms or different areas of the same house. There are dampers within your ducts that control the distribution of air between the two locations, if these are positioned correctly they can cause one area to be too cool and then the other to be warm due to the amount of cool area being unevenly distributed. This can be remedied by having an AC professional adjust the dampers within the ducts to ensure the chilled air is evenly distributed.

AC Cleaning in general is required regularly to avoid these issues, performing preventative maintenance is very important to save on your energy bills and potential breakdown charges on parts and call outs.

Regular cleaning of your filters and outdoor units at a very minimum is recommended every 3-4 months, duct cleaning would be recommended every 12 months. These are essential to help your AC perform well and carrying these cleaning services out will give you the best chance of preventing issues.