If your air conditioning unit is malfunctioning and you don’t know what’s wrong with it exactly, you should try troubleshooting it before calling in a technician to have it fixed and restored back to working condition. This is because some problems with your system can be easily fixed through troubleshooting, which can save you a lot of money that would’ve been spent on costly repairs. If you’re wondering how to troubleshoot a faulty air conditioner, here are five things that you should do before you arrange for a repair visit.
Check the thermostat and circuit box
When an air conditioning system isn’t receiving any power, it won’t turn on, even if you try many times. If this happens, you should check the circuit box and look for a tripped break. If that doesn’t solve it, have a look at the thermostat and see whether it’s set in auto and cool modes. Then, change the temperature in the thermostat to five degrees below the reading and listen carefully whether the system turned on or not. If that still doesn’t work, then it’s time to call an AC repair technician.
Check the condensate pan
If both the thermostat and the breakers are working well but the AC unit appears to be not operational, check the indoor air handler and look for pooling water. Your unit is most likely not working because air conditioners come with a built-in safety feature that shuts them down automatically when water overflows the condensate pan. To fix this, remove whatever it is that’s clogging the condensate pan’s drain tube.
Replace the air filter
A clogged air filter is notorious for being one of the main culprits of malfunctioning systems, causing them to turn on and off successively. In fact, there are many cases where a client calls for an air conditioner repair because of a problem caused by something as simple as the air filter. If it happens that your unit is rapidly and repeatedly turning on and off, check the filter to see if it’s clogged and thoroughly clean it. You can avoid dealing with a clogged air filter in the future by checking it once a month.
Check the air ducts
Dirty, loose or disconnected air ducts cause a variety of problems, such as cutting off airflow from the vents, making loud rattling noises, and creating uneven temperatures from room to room. Once you notice any of these problems, check your unit’s air ducts and either thoroughly clean them or properly connect them together.
Inspect the outdoor unit
Before you call an air conditioning company and arrange for a repair visit, there’s one last area you should check – the outdoor unit. Obstacles around it may prevent airflow from passing through the grille, so be sure to remove them. There’s also a possibility that the condenser coil is coated with debris and dirt, which obstruct heat-energy release and degrade cooling in the process.
Do you have any questions regarding these troubleshooting tips – or do you want to arrange a repair visit with one of our skilled and experienced technicians? Contact us today!