Summer brings hot weather along with all of its fun and activities. Even excessive heat waves do not dampen the outdoor spirit for summer activates. But, when the air conditioner stops cooling that may just bring summer fun to a grinding halt. Unfortunately heating and air conditioning repairs have a way of moving quickly to the top of the priority list at any time of the year. For this reason, it's good to have some key knowledge about what might be going on with your central air conditioner. Here are five of the most common problems that make life difficult for homeowners during an AC breakdown:

Low Refrigerant

Refrigerant is the chemical in all air conditioners that make cooling possible. A low supply of refrigerant renders the system incapable of cooling the home, which is usually due to a leak (more on that next). Air conditioners do not expend refrigerant like a fuel, so refrigerant levels should not normally be low. Technicians use gauges to check for low refrigerant pressure and can 'charge' the system with additional refrigerant. Unfortunately the cost of doing so is rising due to a Government ban on the most common type of refrigerant. Read more on that here.

Refrigerant Leaks

Refrigerant leaks are one of the primary causes of the AC not doing its job. Many customers are accustomed to paying for a refrigerant top-off once every summer due to a slow leak, but they are just treating a symptom and not the more serious core problem. The refrigerant leak is the problem, and should be repaired to prevent more serious problems or total air conditioning failure. A professional heating and air conditioning repair person uses state-of-the-art technology to find and fix leaks completely.

Frozen Evaporator or Indoor Coil

Although the evaporator coil or Indoor Coil must remain cold for the system to function properly, a frozen evaporator will keep the unit from cooling entirely. The first step in righting this problem is to power down the air conditioner. The evaporator needs to thaw out before the heating and air conditioning repair technician attempts to fix it, and the system will likely need a maintenance tune-up as well. Poor airflow can lead to coil freezing. The common cause can be a clogged air filter or dirty indoor coil/evaporator, which can be due to low refrigerant caused by a leak, or not having a maintenance plan with a qualified air conditioning company.

Faulty Indoor Blower

The blower motor in most systems is durable, but the bearings may go bad over time. When this happens it makes noise, which alerts consumers to call someone. Sometimes the problem is more subtle and the motor overheats. When this happens the equipment stops blowing air completely until it cools down. Because the blower is on for some of the time, this problem may escapes notice until the lack of airflow causes the evaporator to freeze.

Water Leaks

Condensation is a side-effect of the air conditioning process. As the refrigerant passes through its cycle, water condenses on the outside of the indoor coil, much like water builds up on the outside of a Coke can. It's necessary for the system to manage the resulting water. The system directs the condensed water through a tube to a condensation pan, which drains into a waste-water pipe. Sometimes the condensation tube becomes clogged with dirt or debris, causing it to overflow. There should be a secondary safety drain, but that may not always be the case. The result of a clogged condensate drain is like a clogged toilet and can cause water damage to floors and ceilings.

All mechanical systems have occasional problems, but performing regular annual maintenance helps to avoid many repairs and keeps the manufacturer's warranty valid. When a unit fails however, the owners should not hesitate to call a quality heating and air conditioning repair company that stands behind their work. Learn more about issues with the government's policy on eliminating the production of R-22 Refrigerant here.