A/C Problems

Cool Max is a local, family-owned business that specializes in servicing and repairing air conditioners in the Metro Atlanta area.

It is the goal of Cool Max to be the “Knight in Shining Armor” to come to the rescue of our neighbors when they have air conditioning problems. Our professional air conditioner technician will analyze the problem and offer the most cost-effective solution for repairing or replacing your air conditioner at a reasonable price. If your upstairs is always too hot, it may not be an air conditioner problem, you might need some insulation in your attic or it could be the result of poor duct installation and/or design.  Cool Max installs blown in insulation. We also specialize in designing ductwork. We also install air conditioners and heat pumps, water heaters and service and install swimming pool heat pump heaters. Whatever your total comfort needs are, Cool Max is the specialist to come help you.

WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT FREQUENTLY ASKED A/C QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Air Conditioning Questions:

1.  My Air Conditioner is frozen up, or my evaporator coil has ice on it.  What is wrong?

The most common two reasons for ice forming on your equipment are: 1) low refrigerant (Freon or Puron) levels, or 2)  blocked air flow across your coils, often caused by a dirty filter.  If you have ice on your outdoor air conditioning unit, ice on your indoor coil or ice on your air conditioning copper pipes, don’t take any chances.  Cut your system off and call a service technician to check out the problem immediately.  If you are low on refrigerant and you continue to run your air conditioner you could damage your expensive compressor which could cost you up to several thousand dollars to replace.

2.  My upstairs is too hot in the summer.  Do I need a bigger air conditioning unit?

Bigger is better, right? That is what most people think, but over-sizing your air conditioning equipment can cause other problems.  If you are uncomfortable upstairs, there has to be a reason.  The first thing you need to do is find out what is causing the problem.  It may not even have anything to do with your air conditioning unit.  It could be that your house has inadequate insulation or you could have air leaks in your ducts.  It could also be poor duct design. Getting a bigger unit costs more money and may not even solve your problem.  The way to be sure to arrive at the right solution is to bring in an expert who uses scientific equipment combined with building science principles and is well trained in heating and cooling systems as well as duct design.  Our comfort specialists know just what to do.

3.  My unit is making a loud noise.  What should I do?

If your unit is making a loud noise you should cut it off and call a professional to come service it.  It may only be a small repair, but if it is left unchecked it could end up damaging other parts and cost you a lot more money.  It’s better to be safe, than sorry.  Call a professional at Cool Max to correct your problem and get your equipment back up and running smoothly.

4.  How much FREON or refrigerant should I put in my air conditioner each year?

Your air conditioner refrigerant system should be a closed system just like your refrigerator.  Once your equipment is properly installed, you should not need to add any more refrigerant.  The only reason you would ever need to add refrigerant is if a leak developed.  The most common places for refrigerant to leak is in the evaporator coil, the joints where the copper has been braised together, the service valves, or in the copper line-set – which can sometimes be in your wall, behind the sheet rock. Most of these leaks are repairable with the exception of the evaporator coil.  Typically, once an evaporator coil starts to leak, if you repair that leak another one will occur in a different place. Occasionally they can be repaired, but most of the time once they start leaking they need to be replaced.

5.  If my air conditioner is broken, why does the service technician need to come inside my house?

The air conditioner requires three pieces of equipment to work.  1) The outdoor condenser unit, 2) the indoor evaporator coil, 3) the indoor blower motor inside your furnace.  So not only does the technician need to check the outdoor unit, he needs to check the indoor components as well.

6.  My thermostat is blank…what should I do?

If your thermostat is blank you should first check to see if it needs batteries.  Some thermostats require batteries in order to work.  If your batteries are good, or if your thermostat doesn’t require batteries, then check your breaker box to see if the breaker has tripped.  If the breaker has not tripped, then you should call a service technician to investigate further.

7.  My indoor evaporator coil is leaking refrigerant and the technician advised me to replace the outdoor condensing unit as well….but the outdoor unit is working fine.  Why should I have to replace the outdoor unit if it is still working?

The indoor evaporator coil works like a partner with the outdoor condensing unit.  In order for your a/c system to work efficiently, they need to be properly matched.  The outdoor unit pumps refrigerant through copper pipes to the indoor coil.  This refrigerant gets very cold and attracts the heat from indoors to the cold refrigerant in those coils.  The refrigerant is then pumped to the outdoor condenser coils, where the heat is released to the outdoors.

If you put your hand over the outdoor condenser fan you will feel the heat as it is being released outdoors.  The refrigerant is constantly moving from the outdoor coil to the indoor coil, so the two coils work like partners – trapping the heat and then releasing it outdoors. These two coils need to be compatible in order to work efficiently.  Over the last few years, there have been a number of changes in our industry.

First, the efficiency of the equipment has changed so older styles of coils may no longer be available to match the existing equipment so both units may need to be replaced in order to operate efficiently. The second thing to consider is that the refrigerant type has also changed.  The old style of refrigerant (FREON or R-22) is being phased out and the price of FREON has escalated.  If your system is using the old style of refrigerant, it might be more cost effective to go ahead and replace the complete system – a/c and coil which uses the new type of refrigerant (R-410a) now. The extra cost of the R-22 refrigerant could be applied toward a more energy efficient outdoor unit.

8)  Why do I need to replace the outdoor unit if my indoor coil is the one that is broken?  click here to see the answer…