A few months ago, my air conditioner completely died. I woke up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, and I didn't know what to do. The next day, I called an HVAC expert, and they came out to inspect my system. It turned out that it had failed because of filthy filters and a clogged return duct, which made me sick to my stomach. I had caused the problem, and I needed to learn how to fix things. My HVAC professional taught me a few easy maintenance techniques that I didn't know before, so that I could maintain my new system. Check out this blog to learn more about HVAC yourself.
When your air conditioner stops working, it can seem like the end of the world, especially if it's on one of the hottest and most humid days of the year. Your home can very quickly warm up and cause you to get irritable very quickly in the process. Keep your cool and attempt to make the repair yourself by using the following troubleshooting tips.
1. Inspect Your Condensing Unit
Inspect the unit outside of your home, which is call the condensing unit. Take a look to see if you notice any corrosion around the exterior housing, this can be caused from a number of things, but a lot of times corrosion occurs when there is overgrowth around the unit, or if you have a pet that likes to use it as their own personal bathroom. If you don't see any corrosion, but there is a lot of overgrowth around the unit, clip back the overgrowth so there is at least a foot of clearance all the way around the unit. Then inspect the fins on the unit to see if they are covered in dirt and other particles that may be clogging the system. If you suspect this is a problem, remove the exterior housing and clean the fins using a garden hose. After you've cleaned up the condensing unit, try to turn on the system again to see if this helps.
2. Make Thermostat Adjustments
Go to your thermostat and take a look at the setting. Adjust the temperature to see if this kicks the air conditioner on for you. Be sure it is set to the "cool" setting as well and make sure it wasn't turned off or turned to the "heat" setting by accident. If you aren't getting a readout on the digital thermostat, check the batteries and be sure you are getting power to the thermostat. If it isn't a digital thermostat and is an older dial model, try changing your thermostat altogether to a newer, more modern one. This is going to cost you some money, but it will work much more efficiently than a dial thermostat.
3. Install A New Air Filter
Your air filter may be causing you these problems with your air conditioner. If the old air filter is clogged with debris, the air is not going to be able to get through to your system properly. Your system will simply shut down. Replacing the air filter is something that doesn't cost a lot of money and can prevent premature breakdowns such as this. Change the air filter and hit the reset button on your system to see if this gets your air conditioner running again.
If your air conditioner isn't running, use the tips above to troubleshoot the problem. If none of these were the issue, contact a professional air conditioner repairman for help.
Share25 February 2020
