Summer HVAC Issues You Should Be Aware Of

Summer brings high heat and higher humidity. Unfortunately, the oppressive heat and high temperatures wreak havoc on an air conditioner, causing many HVAC issues.

Your furnace works overtime to heat your home in the winter, but your AC handles all the work during summer. When your AC starts working overtime like this, problems with the unit show up quickly. Regular, yearly servicing will fix most HVAC issues you experience.

When Should I Service My HVAC System?

Because of the extreme temperatures of summer or winter, your system has to work harder to keep your home at the same temperature. When your system works harder to accomplish a job, it puts added stress on the machine. When you don’t service your HVAC system regularly, you risk letting the system break down during these extreme seasons.

By comparison, spring and autumn are much easier on an HVAC system. With milder temperatures, your system doesn’t work as hard to keep the house comfortable. Servicing your system during spring or autumn will help in a few ways.

Heating and cooling system technicians find it easier to work on your system during spring and autumn because it’s cool outside. The mild temperatures mean that, in the event of a part malfunction or long wait time, your system can be down for a longer time with less discomfort. Instead of sweating or freezing, opening the windows and turning on fans will make the house more comfortable.

The technicians will better diagnose any HVAC issues when they aren’t under the time crunch of an emergency call. Regular servicing will also keep you from having those emergency calls.



If your AC needs servicing before the summer heat hits, call (864) 804-6400 for heating and air services in Landrum by Smooth Sailing Heating and Cooling.

Common Summer HVAC Issues

Every summer, we see the same air conditioner problems. These HVAC issues are prevalent and usually easy to fix during a regular service. The repairs become more serious, time-consuming, and costly once they get bad enough to cause your air conditioner to break down.

Dirty Air Filters

A dirty filter represents the most common reason for a service call. Your AC runs for more extended periods and more often during summer. More runtime means the opportunity to collect more dust.

When your AC collects more dust and debris, your filters get dirtier. Dirty filters heavily restrict airflow.

While every home differs, you should change your air filters every three months, at a minimum. Kids, dogs, and guests track in dirt, dust, and debris from outside, so more active homes should change them out more often. If you use an allergen-trapping filter, which clogs up much more quickly than a standard filter, you should change those out more often.

Expensive filters restrict airflow more, while cheaper filters maintain airflow without filtering much. For best performance, we recommend a moderately priced filter with an even balance of filtration and airflow.

A dirty AC filter is an easy fix, and you will save yourself money on service trips if you learn to change out filters yourself.

Dirty Coils

Like an AC filter, the condenser coils get dirty too. Leaves, dirt, grass trimmings, and other debris often become trapped inside the coils. This residue buildup causes your AC to struggle to bring in the same amount of air.

Leaving the coils clogged for too long will make your system overheat and break down, leading to a high repair bill. Instead of letting the system struggle for air, buy a coil comb to clean out the coils or rinse them with a moderate-pressure hose. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, ask your technician when they visit for your regular servicing.

Restricted Air Flow

A lack of proper airflow will seriously damage your AC unit. Dirty air filters and condenser coils often have a lot to do with low airflow.

If you have excessive clutter, plants, or debris near your AC unit, it will clog up both the coils and the filter, restricting the airflow. Also, if the coils and filter are dirty for entirely unrelated reasons, they will cause a lack of airflow.

Good airflow is key to a functioning air conditioner. Without it, your home remains unprotected from the stifling summer heat.

Thermostat Problems

All the components of your AC experience wear, whether inside or outside your home. Thermostats are no exception. Older thermostats can become very inefficient and often incompatible with newer systems.

A malfunctioning thermostat causes your AC to run poorly and inefficiently, costing you more money over time. The AC will often turn on and off rapidly or stay on for far too long. If your thermostat reads the interior temperature wrong, your AC will cool to the wrong temperature.

Our technicians will help install a comparable thermostat for your system if yours causes too many HVAC issues.

Tripped Circuit Breaker

A tripped breaker is easy to find but difficult to diagnose. Circuit breakers trip when a system pulls an unusually high electrical demand. They help prevent house fires and damage to your electrical system.

Many different issues trip circuit breakers. Reduced airflow will trip the breaker because the AC system works too hard. An old, malfunctioning coil fan or heat pump will trip the breaker.

Bad wiring or aged parts are the most common cause of a tripped breaker. Unfortunately, bad wiring is very common in older buildings or when someone installed wiring poorly.

If your AC constantly trips a circuit breaker, call us! It may be a serious issue that demands fixing right away.

Top-Quality Air Conditioner Services

We have said it before, but we will repeat it: a yearly service fixes most HVAC issues. Waiting too long to service your air conditioner causes unnecessary wear and tear on your system and leads to high repair bills.

If you want to know more about our air conditioning service or need to schedule a service, call Smooth Sailing Heating and Cooling at (864) 804-6400.