Installing and Maintaining an HVAC System

Troubleshooting an Overheated Air Conditioner Compressor

13 June 2017

Aaron Kennedy

One of the most crucial components of your air conditioner is the compressor. It works by pumping the refrigerant from the condenser (outdoor unit) to the evaporator (indoor unit) and vice versa. In the process, it ensures there's a balance in your indoor home temperature because the refrigerant absorbs the heat and moves with it away from your home to the outdoor unit. Overheating is one major cause of premature compressor failure. Repairing a faulty air conditioner compressor won't come cheap so you need to be aware of the possible causes of this problem and find a way to avert them.

Here are some of the major reasons behind your air conditioner compressor overheating and how you can deal with them.

You Chose the Wrong Sized Air Conditioner

Air conditioners can only effectively cool up to a certain amount of a given space. If you have a small air conditioner in a bigger room, it will have to work harder to cool the oversized room. This will put more pressure on the compressor and will eventually overheat. The solution to this is simple. Always get an estimate of the amount of living space you intend to cool and choose an air conditioner whose cooling capacity will match up to it. If you are unsure, get an installer from your air conditioner vendor to do the estimates.

You Have Dirty Air Filters

Air filters are designed to collect and trap dirt and other pollutants from the air to ensure the air being blown into your home is of good quality. As the dirt accumulates on the filters, it eventually clogs them. When this happens, the flow of air becomes restricted and the compressor is forced to work even more to cool the room. Similarly, this puts stress on the compressor, resulting in overheating problems. Removing and inspecting the air filters for build-up of debris is fairly easy. Simply remove the screws using a screwdriver and slide the filters out. You can try to remove as much of the dirt as possible then clean the filters thoroughly using soap and some warm water. Filters with too much gunk should simply be replaced. Remember to make it a priority to regularly inspect the filters and other components of your air conditioner to prevent costly damages.

When inspecting the air filters for build-up of debris, check the condenser coils too for the same.

You Are Running Low on Refrigerant

Since the compressor works by pumping the refrigerant through the air conditioning system, it will have a hard time doing this if the refrigerant levels are low. This will simply result in overheating because of the strain. Low refrigerant levels are caused by refrigerant leaks, and these will occur when the refrigerant lines crack and develop holes. Get a technician to fix the leaks because topping up the refrigerant will be costly and won't work for long because it will still leak.

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