Many times people call on an air-conditioning service when their problem is as simple as a dirty air filter that needs to be changed, or a blown fuse. Before you waste your time and money, follow this troubleshooting checklist, says Jeff Stienstra, who runs Stienstra Heating and Cooling in Hudsonville, Michigan.
It’s a sweltering day. You’ve turned on your air conditioner, and nothing happens. Or you’ve switched it on, and after an hour, the room temperature is barely different. What to do? Should you immediately call an air conditioning repair technician?
The majority of the time there are preventative things you can do yourself without having to call someone out to look at your air conditioner, things that will save you time, money - and the embarrassment of having someone tell you that all you need to do is switch the thing on.
The most common cause of insufficient cooling is a dirty air filter. Before calling a service technician, be sure to check your system filter. If the filter is clean, you can go outside to your outdoor unit and be sure all debris is cleared from the outdoor unit. You can even turn off the power at the circuit breaker or fusebox and remove the top fan, the cooling fan. Usually about four bolts hold it on. Then, remove any debris inside the unit. You can also use a hose to hose it out from the inside to remove the debris off the cooling fans. This can dramatically increase your system’s efficiency as this is where all of the heat collected from inside the home is released. If the outdoor system does not get adequate air flow, it cannot release enough heat to continue cooling the home.
If the system still is not cooling properly, see if you have access to the indoor coil, which is usually mounted on the duct work directly above the furnace or air handler. Then, check to make sure that it is also clean, and not covered in ice. Make sure also that the grills are unobstructed.
Another thing to do, which may seem obvious, is to check all the disconnect switches and make sure that a fuse has not blown. Also, at the same time you should look to make sure all circuit breakers are turned to the ON position.
If all these things have been checked and everything works okay, the system may be needing extra refrigerant, which would indicate a leak. And a professional licensed technician would need to be contacted. Don’t try to fix a leak yourself - you’ll only regret it.
