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Common Causes Of Air Conditioner Fires

If you’re a homeowner, one of your responsibilities is ensuring that your HVAC system works safely. One of the best ways to be sure of this is to request an annual HVAC inspection from an expert team. During the inspection, HVAC professionals will assess every aspect of your HVAC services. They will let you know if the inspector finds anything that needs to be repaired or updated.

One frequent problem with your air conditioner might be a leaky AC compressor. According to Grande Air Solutions, if you experience your AC compressor leaking, treat it like an emergency and get the compressor replaced. Call your HVAC contractor to replace the compressor, and don’t keep running the air conditioner while the compressor is still leaking. You don’t want a simple repair to become an entire replacement.

Another problem related to leaks might be if you see your refrigerant leak sealant. Property Club says a freon gas smell is similar to chloroform, although it smells sweeter. According to ARS Rescue Rooter, a sealant leak can be dangerous for your health. If you see or smell freon, turn off the AC unit and call for a repair. If you’re concerned about the freon amount, gather your family and leave home until the AC is repaired.

Most property owners would not feel comfortable in their interiors without air conditioning. You need it to generate just the right of cold or warmth to keep your interiors within the ideal temperatures. Even so, air conditioners are among the leading causes of property fires.

They account for the ignition of approximately 2800 fires annually. This is only about 2% of property fires, but it is still a devastating statistic. Professional air duct cleaning for your Reno property might not seem like much towards the safety of your property from fires. For most people, in fact, this sounds like a waste of their precious cash.

Even so, air duct cleaning by professionals can save you thousands of dollars’ worth of fire damage to your property. Moreover, with a report on your property’s duct cleaning, you have more proof of your contribution to fire damage protection and are thus better-placed to win compensation for a property fire.

The following are the common causes of air conditioner fires:

Storage of Flammables Near Air Conditioners

Few property owners see the need of getting a professional to install their air conditioners. They assume that provided the system is placed anywhere on their property, conditioned air is a guarantee. The placement of your air conditioner, however, plays a crucial role in the output quality and operation of your unit.

Placing it too close to flammable materials like paper, gasoline, and outdoor debris increases its risk of catching fire. Professionals recommend leaving a space of approximately three feet around your air conditioning units to avert a fire.

Dirty Air Conditioners

Man cleaning air conditioner

Without a periodic professional clean of your air conditioner, debris accumulates in its interior components, including the fins, filters, vents, and coils. This obstructs the normal flow of air through your unit. The resultant back-drafting of air through your air conditioner causes an imbalance that can ignite a fire.

If you use a furnace, the cleaning of your unit will also entail that of your chimney. This prevents the accumulation of combustible creosote that can ignite and cause a fire.

Electrical Issues

Loose, damaged, and old electrical wires connecting different parts of your air conditioner can also generate sparks that ignite a fire. This is often the case if there is debris that can catch the spark and ignite a fire near the unit or in it.

Frequent maintenance picks the damaged wires and intervenes appropriately before they generate sparks.

Overheating

Mechanical issues are the most common causes of overheating in an air conditioner. If, for instance, your motors’ bearings have inadequate lubrication, they will overheat when turning and ignite a fire. Debris also makes the motor work harder than it is meant to. An overworking motor generally overheats and ignites fires.

Other than the prevention of the above causes of fire, air conditioning cleaning, and maintenance also improves the operation of your unit. This ordinarily translates to optimal air quality and usage of minimal energy to run your air conditioner. It also extends the durability of your appliance.

Common Causes of Air Conditioner Fires

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