Troubleshoot AC Issues
Tips to Troubleshoot AC Issues
When it comes to looking after your air conditioner unit, keeping it in good condition is preferable to massive repairs or replacing it completely. If your AC does start behaving badly, you should deal with the fault immediately. This means knowing what to look out for and how to correct it.
Some tips to help you troubleshoot problems with your AC
Start with the Thermostat
If your AC unit runs and blows air, but produces heat when you want cold, or vice versa, the thermostat isn’t working properly. Make sure you have set it to the appropriate setting, either COOL or HOT.
If your AC unit turns on but doesn’t run, the thermostat may be incorrectly set.
Check the Circuit Breakers
It is unlikely your AC will just stop powering up for no reason. The most likely cause will be that the power has tripped. Check the circuit breakers to turn the power back on.
Check Your Air Filter
You will soon detect if your AC isn’t filtering the air efficiently if you start sneezing a lot, or if dust has gathered around the vents. A dirty air filter can also mean the air is consistently too hot, or just doesn’t cool efficiently. You may even see a leak from the back of the unit, or hot air escaping from the back.
To treat these faults, you may need to clean or change the air filter.
Check your Outdoor Unit
The outdoor condenser section of your AC unit can cause problems if it isn’t kept clean. Watch out for your electricity bills going up quickly, or the AC not cooling the air efficiently. You may also notice warm air coming from the vents when you have set the thermostat to cool.
In any of these cases, check the outdoor unit. You may need to wash away any build-up of grime.
Check All Your Air Vents
Your AC unit uses a lot of power, but if you notice the electricity bill soaring, it may be that the air vents are clogged. To see if this is the problem, check the temperature of the air at each vent in your house. An inconsistency can indicate that a particular vent needs to be cleaned.
When to Call the Pros
It is time to call in the pros to fix your AC when you have taken what steps you can and it still doesn’t work correctly.
This may be when you have checked the air filters, thermostat, and parts of your AC, but it still blows too hot all the time. The problem is then more severe.
This can also be the case if the condenser begins to leak, or blows hot air outwards.
The electricity fed into the AC isn’t something you can fix yourself. If you reset a tripped circuit breaker and it trips again immediately, call in the pros.
To avoid big issues developing, contact us for maintenance service and all repairs on your AC.