Monday, November 11, 2013

How to Fix an Air Conditioner


While air conditioners are generally pretty reliable, there are a few things that can potentially go wrong with your system ranging from minor inconveniences to major problems that make you want to pull out your hair. But your air conditioner doesn't have to be a constant source of frustration - there are air conditioner repair steps you can take at home to get everything running smoothly again - or to prevent problems from occurring in the first place!

Common Air Conditioner Problems and How to Fix Them

Although there could be many reasons why your AC could be running poorly or not working altogether, including faulty wiring, low refrigerant, and poor installation - which all need to be addressed by a professional - there are a few main problems that can be addressed at home.

The Air Conditioner Won't Turn On

Two common reasons why your AC won't start up are fairly simple - it could be disconnected, or the thermostat could be low on batteries if it's not hard wired.

The fix: This may seem obvious, but the first thing you should do is make sure that your AC's disconnect switch is on. Many people forget that they shut down their air conditioner over the winter and that they'll need to flip it back on again. Secondly, make sure your thermostat is working - if it's not hard wired, check the batteries and ensure it's set to cooling mode and not heating. If your programmable thermostat is hard wired and it isn't working, it's likely that you're going to need to replace it.

The Air Conditioner is Running, but There's No Air Blowing

This problem generally stems from clogged and dirty air filters or frozen coils - and one can even lead to the other in many cases! Dirty air filters restrict the airflow in your home and can cause the temperature in your evaporator to drop until you're dealing with a solid block of ice.

The fix: If it's the air filter causing your problems, the solution is as easy as switching your dirty filter with a clean one to get things back on track. Of course, you should be making it a habit to change your filters every one to three months, depending on usage.

Frozen coils can be a little bit more difficult to fix because you have to figure out why your air conditioner is freezing in the first place. Often, simply changing your air filters or turning up the temperature on your thermostat can fix this problem for you. It's important to note that you shouldn't set your thermostat much below 70-72 degrees because that subjects your evaporator coils - which are 40 degrees colder than the air in your home - to subfreezing temperatures. If changing your air filters and raising the temperature doesn't fix your frozen air conditioner, it's time to call an HVAC professional to diagnose and recommend a best course of action.

The Air Coming from the Vents Isn't Cold

As we mentioned before, your refrigerant-filled evaporator coils are 40 degrees colder than the air in your home, so that means it will return air that is 20 degrees cooler than room temperature. However, this also means that if the room temperature air is quite warm - let's say it's 90 degrees - then the air coming out of your vents will only be 70 degrees, which may not feel that cool to the touch.

The fix: Just wait! If the starting room temperature is high, it could take a while for the air coming out of your vents to feel cool.

Air conditioner repair doesn't have to stress you out! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.

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