3 Things That Could Be Causing Your Air Conditioning Problems

18 May 2018
Categories: , Blog

It's that time of year – the time when you begin to rely on the air conditioning unit in your home to keep you comfortable on the hot, muggy days. If your air conditioning unit isn't working properly, there's a few things that you can check before you call in the professionals. Here, you'll learn what those things are.

Check the Thermostat

Before you do anything, check your thermostat. So many homeowners have called for help when their heating and cooling system malfunctions when the only problem was that their thermostat was set improperly or the batteries were low or dead.

Make sure that the thermostat is set to cool, that the fan is turned on auto and then bump the setting down a few degrees. Give it a few minutes to see if it kicks on.

If this didn't fix the problem – continue to the next test.

Check the Registers

The next thing to check is the registers. Do you feel air coming from the registers? If not, go to the breaker panel and check to see if there are any tripped breakers. If you find that the breaker powering the cooling system is tripped, reset it. If it trips soon after you reset it, there's an electrical issue that needs to be addressed immediately by a professional.

If the breakers aren't tripped, there could be a problem with the wiring, the control board or the thermostat. Another thing it could be is a full reservoir on the air conditioning unit. Go to the unit and check the reservoir – if it's full, the limit switch will prevent the unit from functioning. A technician will be needed for repairs.

Check for Ice

Inspect the lines that connect the interior and exterior units. Is there ice or frost forming on them? If you see evidence of icing, turn off the air conditioning unit but continue to run the blower fan on the furnace. Continue running it for an hour or two so that it can de-ice the lines.

Now, turn the unit back on and wait fifteen minutes or so. Check the piping again. The line should be cold and covered with condensation. If it isn't, there is probably a problem with the Freon and you'll need some professional assistance with the repairs.

If you have not found the solution to your air conditioning problem at this point, contact your local HVAC technician for assistance.

About Me

I almost always have my air conditioner inspected every spring before I start using it in the summer. However, last year I decided to skip the inspection. Everything had been OK for the last couple of years, so I assumed that it would be fine this year as well. Why not save a few dollars and skip the annual check up, just this once? Of course, this was the year that my air conditioner decided to break down. It ran for a few days, but it never really seemed to get cool enough to bring the indoor temperature down. Then it started making a loud noise, right before shutting off completely. By that time, the AC repair company was swamped like it always is when the weather is warm, and I had to wait days for an appointment. Next year, I will definitely be getting that yearly inspection first.