Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Home Air Conditioner Troubleshooting and Maintenance Tips


All central air conditioners require air conditioning service by a professional each year. Some regular maintenance and home air conditioner troubleshooting can be done on your own to keep the unit running appropriately. These are things such as replacing blown fuses, changing filters, and cleaning dirty parts. Regular maintenance can prevent specific parts from getting dirty and reduce the amount of repairs required for a unit during use. Below are some tips on home air conditioner troubleshooting and determining if an air conditioning expert is needed to fix the problem.

A condenser may not run due to many reasons. Some of the most common are blown fuses or tripped breakers that cut the power to the unit. High thermostat settings are another cause and reducing the temperature by five degrees can result in the condenser running again. A faulty motor or compressor may be the problem and needs to be looked at and replaced by a professional. An unbalanced distribution system results in uneven cooling and must be balanced to eliminate the problem. This requires a professional as well.

When the unit is not cooling, check simple items first and then call a professional. Once again, a thermostat that is set too high might be the problem. Try lowering the temperature. A dirty condenser or evaporator may also be the cause. Clean the condenser coil and evaporator. Then clean and straighten the fins on the condenser. The condenser unit can become blocked. Remove all debris and cut down weeds and grass around the unit. Other causes for this problem include a faulty compressor, low refrigerant, or a refrigerant leak. These types of issues require an air conditioning service for evaluation and repair.

If the condensing unit is repeatedly kicking on and off, the condenser could be dirty or blocked. Remove anything blocking the unit and then clean the coil and fins. The evaporator could also be dirty. Try cleaning it and if these steps do not resolve the problem, call a qualified repairman. In many cases, the most common problem is the evaporator being dirty. You can attempt to clean the unit and perform simple home air conditioner troubleshooting to determine if the issue is easily fixable. When it is not, always call someone who specializes in air conditioning repair. Do not attempt to perform major repairs yourself, because this can end up being more expensive.

Yearly maintenance can prevent many of these issues from occurring and decrease the amount of work and repairs that must be done on a unit. Common maintenance procedures performed by a service and installation company include: checking refrigerant levels, checking electrical components, cleaning the evaporator coil, cleaning the condenser coil, oiling all motors, calibrating the thermostat, and cleaning or replacing filters. Each of these maintenance functions has its own significance. Low refrigerant levels are the most dangerous and can result in very expensive repairs. Efficiency is reduced by dirty parts and filters. Cleaning and replacement will keep energy costs low and ensure it is running at its best. Change filters regularly and have it serviced yearly to keep it efficient and prevent pricey repairs from popping up.

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