Air Conditioning Services & Repairs

Prepare your home today for those dreadful summer heatwaves with Snell Heating and Air Conditioning. Our skilled and certified air conditioning contractors are guaranteed to leave your home refreshed all summer long! Our team offers air conditioning services to homes in areas of Virginia. Give us a call at (703) 543-9649 or book an appointment online to receive help with an HVAC issue.

Benefits of Investing In an Energy-Efficient Air Conditioner

Lower Energy Bills

The average household spends over $2,000 a year on energy costs. More than half of those expenses are related to HVAC systems. Units that are certified for efficiency provide the budget-friendly air conditioning relief you need during the summer months! Air conditioning units that are equipped with an energy star certification are guaranteed to lower your monthly cooling bill and deliver clean air into your home. Talk to a skilled air conditioning contractor today to receive support with choosing a new energy-efficient system.

Climate Control

The technicians at our air conditioning company in Virginia will help you find an energy-efficient system to give you more control over the temperature in your home. We offer dependable air conditioning services and are committed to helping you find a system that can be integrated with a programmable thermostat, which is instrumental in monitoring cooling costs. Many models now have apps so your temperature can be controlled right from your phone!

Smaller Carbon Footprint

Energy-efficient air conditioners are not only beneficial to your wallets, but they are also better for the environment. Older air conditioning units produce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Speak with a trained air conditioning contractor today about reducing your carbon footprint!

Quiet Operation

Newer models are designed to make less noise. The air conditioning contractors at Snell Heating & Air will help you find the perfect place to install your new system to reduce excess noise.

Not Required to Cool Unoccupied Rooms

Cooling can be designated to certain rooms of your house. Now you do not have to pay to cool a room that is never occupied. By only cooling the utilized rooms, you can maximize your savings.

Common Air Conditioner Noises & What They Mean

Unfortunately, there aren’t “completely silent” household appliances on the market. Everything is going to have a small non-concerning noise associated. To help you diagnose issues with your HVAC system, the certified technicians from our air conditioning company have compiled a list of noises that may indicate it’s time to schedule a repair or replacement.

Shrieking Noises

Loud mechanical shrieking noises can be a common indicator of a motor problem or a sign that the motor bearing has been worn down. This should be looked at by a professional air conditioning contractor. Our team of certified contractors offers air conditioning services in areas such as Alexandria, Reston, Sterling, and Arlington. A worn-down bearing eventually creates too much friction on the motor. The technicians on our team can quickly repair or replace those bearings to prevent further damage.

Grinding Sounds

A grinding noise coming from your unit may also be a sign your motor is problematic. When the motor accumulates too much dust or debris or has lost lubrication, it can cause the motor to be worn down. Any smell coming from your vents or unit in attachment with the grinding noise might be a sign of overheating. This is a natural part of wear and tear and is something that is fixable but should not be ignored.

Rattling Noises

Rattling can be a small problem or a large problem. It may be nothing more than a sign that your cabinet door is loose. This is something you can typically fix on your own with a couple twists of a screwdriver. On the other hand, it could be a sign of something else, such as loose components getting knocked around in the fan blades, which can cause the blades to bend. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to reach out to a licensed air conditioning company near you in Virginia.

Hissing Sounds

Imagine the sound air makes as it escapes out of a tire, or an air mattress. If you notice this sound, you may be having refrigerant gases escaping due to a damaged pipe. As we will learn, refrigerant is an essential component to AC operation. We provide trustworthy air conditioning services and will inspect your refrigerant pipes to detect and resolve leaks.

5 Essential Components of an Air Conditioner

Let’s dive into the five essential parts of an air conditioner, in order to gain a better understanding of how an air conditioner functions. If you are having an issue with a part or component in your system, give the team at our air conditioning company a call by phone at (703) 543-9649 or schedule an appointment on our website.

1.) Refrigerant

Also known as coolant, the refrigerant is a special fluid that is essential to the cooling and freezing process. The refrigerant acts as a messenger operating on a closed loop and carries heat from the inside of your space to the outside.  Refrigerant moves through the components’ cooling tubes and copper coils, connecting the inside unit to the outside unit. Absorbing heat from your indoor air, changing the state of gas to liquid. 

After absorbing inside heat, the refrigerant makes its way to the outside unit where the heat is then pushed outdoors. Once the refrigerant has dispersed outdoors, it changes back to its gaseous state traveling back indoors. After the refrigerant gets cold again, an indoor fan blows air over the cold coils, producing cold air to circulate throughout the home. This cycle continuously repeats during the time in which your air conditioner is on. We offer convenient and safe air conditioning services in areas such as Annandale, Burke, Alexandria, and Arlington and have the skills necessary to fix your cracked or damaged refrigerant pipes. 

2.) Compressor

The compressor’s job is to pressurize the refrigerant, also raising its temperature. If pressure increases, so will the temperature. When you compress the refrigerant, it will heat up. The compressor squeezes the gas very tightly together. In order to increase the temperature higher than the outdoor temperature, the refrigerant must be heated up. 

3.) Condenser Coil

The condenser coil is located in the outdoor air conditioning unit. It receives high-pressure and high-temperature refrigerant from the compressor. These coils are designed to allocate heat transfer to the outdoor air. The refrigerant releases heat energy from the condenser fan and blows air over the coils. As the heat enters the outside environment, it turns back into a liquid where it then flows to the expansion valve, which depressurizes the refrigerant and cools it down. Our team provides fast air conditioning services near you and will help you fix or replace malfunctioning condenser coils. 

4.) Expansion Valve

Refrigerant leaves the condenser in a liquid state, it has removed heat, but it is still too hot to enter the evaporator coils. Before the refrigerant is passed to the evaporator coils, it must be cooled. The expansion valve, commonly known as the metering device, steps up. Combined gases allow pressure to decrease along with the temperature. The expansion valve depressurizes the refrigerant and cools it down. This valve removes pressure from the liquid refrigerant allowing it to change from a liquid to a vapor/gas in the evaporator. Additionally, it controls the amount of refrigerant entering the evaporator. 

5.) Evaporator Coil

This crucial coil allows the air conditioner to pick up heat from inside your home. Copper tubes receive the depressurized liquid refrigerant from the expansion valve. Indoor air blows over the cold coils, allowing heat from inside your home to be absorbed. Similar to the condenser coils that need the help of the condenser fan to facilitate heat transfer, the evaporator coils rely on the indoor fans to blow air over the coils.

Trusted & Reliable Air Conditioning Company & Services

Is your air conditioner giving you trouble? Are you in need of an AC installation, repair, or replacement? If so, give a trusted air conditioning contractor at Snell Heating & Air a call to get scheduled today!

The team at our air conditioning company offers units from industry-leading brands. We provide dependable air conditioning services.