Oh, no! Did the air conditioner stop working? Are you going to have to call for AC repair, wait for a technician, and pay a repair bill? Well, maybe. But if you do all that, you want to make sure it is truly necessary. Before you decide you need a technician to look at your air conditioner, run through this quick AC troubleshooting checklist.
A Word of Warning
Air conditioners are electrical appliances. They contain components that could injure you, cause electric shock, or expose you to chemicals like super-cooled refrigerant. And if anything goes wrong with the wiring, you could be left with a sneaky fire hazard you don’t know you need to worry about. Don’t DIY AC repair! Leave the real work to the experts. But actual repair may not be needed at all.
Check the Power
Is your air conditioner receiving power? A common issue is that if another appliance is plugged into the same circuit as the air conditioner—say, if you use the vacuum in a certain outlet—the circuit can overload and trip. Check your electrical panel. Is one of the circuits switched out of position? Just flip it back, plug the vacuum in somewhere else, and cross your fingers.
If this solves it, fantastic! But don’t just keep going through this process over and over. An air conditioner that repeatedly trips the circuit breaker has an actual problem. It’s drawing more power than it should. Perhaps the motor or the wiring needs repair. Have it checked by a professional!
Check the Thermostat
Whether you have an old dial thermostat, a programmable digital thermostat, or one of the new smart thermostats, it’s possible for the setting to be changed without you realizing it. Whether it’s a minor bump from an elbow or the accidental pressing of the wrong button—or a curious small child pressing buttons on purpose—a change to the thermostat’s setting or programming can tell your air conditioner to stop running.
Make sure it’s set to cool and not off or heat. Make sure it’s set to the temperature you intended to set it to. And check that any sort of “away” programming that would keep your home at a different temperature during certain hours wasn’t accidentally triggered. If your thermostat isn’t displaying anything at all, or it seems that signals are only getting through intermittently, change the batteries.
Change the Air Filter
Something you should already be doing monthly is changing the air filter. If there’s a larger-than-normal amount of dust in your home, you might need to change it more frequently. If it’s too badly clogged with dust, it can set off the limit switch, shutting the system down to prevent overheating. Check the filter before you decide you need actual repair.
If none of these things have resolved your AC issue, it’s time for central air conditioning repair in Cedar Grove, NJ. Now when your technician arrives, you’ll know for sure that you really do need their help.
Contact MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc. today with AC concerns or any questions about your HVAC system!