What are the different common air conditioning unit troubles you can face and how do you fix them? This is something that any homeowner should know about and be prepared for. Not everything will always work well and you can expect trouble to happen when you least expect it to.
If your AC has failed, you should check the circuit breakers and fuses. Before you do this, you have to let it rest for a few minutes just to make sure it’s reset properly. A hot day may mean that you have tripped your limit switch. There should be a button on the panel for the compressor that you can use to do the resetting. For the most part, with these units, you’ll find that problems tend to come from it having to work too hard. Identify what is causing issues if your AC keeps shutting off and if you can’t then hire an HVAC professional to look at it.
Never add more refrigerant if it keeps leaking out. If it is just low once and then is fine after you add more, then that means that it didn’t have enough in it to begin with. A technician can be hired if you have a leak so that it can be properly repaired. Leaks that are not taken care of right away tend to get worse over time. The unit is more efficient if you use the refrigerant charge that is recommended. Over or undercharging can lead to more issues.
Some room air conditioners have a sensor attached to the thermostat behind the controls. If this is knocked around and not in the right spot, your AC may keep cycling all day and not work properly in general. If you are looking at the sensor, then you should see if it’s near your coil but not on top of or touching it. You need to carefully bend the wire it is attached so that it can be moved around. This should be done by someone that knows what they are doing because it is easy to cause damage that can cost more to repair than to pay someone to adjust properly.
The outside fan is what takes your home’s indoor air and gets it out. If this part of the system is malfunctioning or not working at all, the heat transfer process will not be able to take place. This can then cause your conditioning compressor to trip your safety overload because of the system overheating. In some cases, you may end up with damage that is done to the compressor internally, meaning you have to completely replace it or get a whole new unit depending on what kind of issues come from this.
A dirty evaporator may be an issue if you cannot get your home cooled no matter how low you turn your thermostat. Try to lower it by 5 degrees and then if that’s not working you can clean your evaporator off. Once you do that, you need to run the unit for a couple of hours to see how well it works for you. You may not have an AC that is the right size if you are not getting the home to a cooler temperature. A home that cools fast because it has a nice AC that works well is a home that will have low electric bills.
You can clean the air conditioner every once in a while to make sure it’s in optimal condition. You can make sure there’s enough coolant, that the condenser is free of debris, and just to check for some of the other issues you’ve been taught about here. Troubleshooting is easy to do if you have the internet because you can type in the type of problems you’re having on a search engine. If, for instance, you hear a banging sound you can search for something like “AC making banging noise” and see if others have had the same issue before.
Do not ignore any ice that is building up on your unit. This indicates a plugged or dirty evaporator. You can clean the evaporator with cleaners that you can get at a local retail or hardware store. You need to make sure that the filter is cleaned, too, because it can cause the same problems. Make sure that the ice is melted before you trust that the unit is working properly again. Always change your filter after the ice is melted just so that it doesn’t cause it to get dirty again right away.
Maintenance must be done by a certified professional that has done this kind of work in the past. You need companies to help you that have done repairs on the latest models, or those that are not so new if that is what you have. Before it gets too hot outside, it’s best to have an inspection done just in case there is something you can fix before it gets worse. The sooner you fix a problem, the better. You don’t want it to get worse over time and then be more expensive to fix.
Keep your AC off when you have windows and doors open. Some people end up causing problems with their system without even knowing it. If you have a unit that you use just for a single room, make sure that you have it isolated from the rest of the home with a good door. If you notice that you have breezy windows and doors, you should work on replacing everything to make your AC have to work less. This can save you money and from having to do expensive repairs in the future that could have been avoided.
Being prepared for the common air conditioning unit troubles you were told about here can help you avoid expensive problems in the future. If you notice anything you are better off taking care of the issue then before it gets worse and more expensive to fix.
