What Is Wrong With My Air Conditioning Unit?

Since we are approaching the long hot days of summer, now is a good time to brush up on your air conditioner troubleshooting. Even if you’ve just installed a brand new unit, it’s never a bad idea to get more comfortable with the utilities running in your home. Especially when the unit’s operation directly affects the comfort of your loved ones.

Most of the issues that you have with your air conditioner will need to be dealt with by a professional. You can fiddle around with the machine as much as you want, but if you end up breaking something or causing another problem, you might turn what WAS a cheap and quick fix, into an expensive repair job.

It’s obvious that an HVAC technician is going to be more knowledgeable and better equipped to repair your AC. However, just because that’s true, does not mean that you still can’t take steps to solve problems on your own.

For instance, if your AC is running, but doesn’t seem to be kicking out any cool air, the very first thing you should do is check your thermostat. After you are absolutely sure that it’s at the proper setting, you can move on to check the air condenser.

“Checking the air condenser” sounds a lot more complicated than it is in reality. It just means stepping outside and making sure that there isn’t debris caked to the outside of the condensing unit. If you have boards, rocks, or anything leaning on the surface of your air condenser, removing these obstructions may be the solution to your problem.

Even high grass or tangled weeds around the edges of the air condenser can cause problems. You want the unit to have plenty of space around it with nothing blocking the airflow.

If you have already given your air condenser a good cleaning and removed all the obstructions, as well as ensuring your thermostat is set at the right temperature, then you have done all you can do. If the problem persists, your air condenser is probably faulty. Either that or there is a problem with the amount of refrigerant in your system.

Whatever the issue may be at this point, it is time to call an HVAC company and ask for a technician’s help.

If your AC unit isn’t running at all, it may be as simple as plugging the darn thing in! Let that be the first thing you check before moving on to other possibilities. It might save you some embarrassment down the road.

You can then move on to check your fuse box for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. Try resetting those if needed, and see if that gets your unit running. You can also try lowering your thermostat about five degrees. If the unit does not kick on after that, you probably have a busted motor or air compressor. Again, you’ll want to employ a professional to help with that kind of issue.

Really, the best advice we can give here is to just take good care of your air conditioner from the moment you have it installed. Don’t let high weeds or grass grow around it, and pay attention to the upkeep of the machine. We can guarantee that if you are being mindful of the AC, you will be more likely to catch problems and be able to repair them before they turn into a big ordeal that will cost you a lot of money.

If you have found yourself in a rut, with no idea what is wrong or how to fix it, Arco Home Services will be glad to step in and lend you a hand. We have friendly and trained technicians that deal with all kinds of AC issues every day, so you can trust that we will know what to do to fix it. Give us a call, stop stressing about the broken AC, and get comfortable in your own home.