What’s That Clicking Sound from My AC?

What’s That Clicking Sound from My AC?

We don’t get much of a reprieve from the heat in the Southern California deserts when October arrives. This last week we dealt with temperatures high up in the 90’s during the daytime, and that means air conditioners are putting in just as much work around Halloween as they were during Labor Day.

This is a time of the year when we recommend you pay special attention to any odd behavior from your home’s air conditioning system, since the system has already put in months of hard work and the stress may finally cause parts to fail. One common warning sign you might encounter is a clicking sound coming from the outdoor cabinet.

What Does This Clicking Noise Mean?

There are a couple of possibilities for what causes this clicking sound. The most likely reason, especially at this time of year, is a failing motor capacitor. These capacitors send voltage to start up motors and then keep them running. However, they are the component in an AC most susceptible to intense heat, which lessens their ability to hold a charge. As a capacitor begins to fail, it will start to make a clicking sound. Have a technician look over the AC to see if the capacitor needs to be replaced. Don’t try to buy your own capacitor and replace on your own.

The clicking sound might point toward a more serious problem, hard starting. This means the AC is struggling to turn on and wasting more power than it should. Hard starting can indicate a tight compressor or loss of lubrication. You never want the compressor to suffer damage, so contact professionals immediately to care for the problem.

For any air conditioning repair in Cathedral City, CA or elsewhere in the Inland Empire and the Desert Communities, call on our team. We’re open 24 hours and have many years of experience repairing ACs that deal with long hot seasons.

Russell’s Heating & Air Conditioning offers quality repair, installation, and other services throughout the Yucaipa area.