5 Common Air Conditioner Problems And Solutions In the hot summer months, air conditioners work overtime to keep homes cool. Your air conditioner is your lifeline to a comfortable stay at home. Always remember machines need care and maintenance to work properly. Your AC is no different. If you want it to work efficiently, you need to invest in its upkeep and maintenance. An AC which doesn’t work properly makes life miserable and unbearable. In worse situations, it may even force you to live elsewhere until the problem is resolved. Today let’s learn about 5 common air conditioner problems and solutions. Hopefully, next time, when the AC acts up, you will be able to take care of things and prevent the situation from going out of hands.
5 Common Air Conditioner Problems And Solutions
The warm weather is on your head, and this is just the beginning of summer. For every little AC problem, you cannot call a technician because until they arrive, you are stuck. However, most issues that crop up with AC are actually very easy to resolve. So, here is a small troubleshooting guide for knowledge and future reference.
1. AC Does Not Turn On – That’s strange, you flipped the switch, and the AC does not switch on. You were expecting a burst of cool air; instead, you were met with silence. Firstly, don’t panic. The lack of power does not mean that your AC has gone belly up. It’s just a matter of a blown fuse, a tripped circuit, loose wiring, or cut wire. All three of these situations you can handle on your own.
The Solution – If it’s a blown fuse, you need to change it. If it’s a tripped circuit, you need to reset it. Loose wiring would require you to tighten the nuts and bolts around the switch or plug, as the case may be. And, if the wire is cut, you need to replace it with a new unbroken length of wire.
2. Air Not Coming Out Of Air Registers – The AC switched on, the compressor kicked in, but no air is coming out of the air registers. The problem could either be as simple as a tripped breaker on the outside unit of the air conditioner or a problem with the blower belt.
The Solution – In the above scenario, one part of the problem you can handle on your own but for the other, you will have to call an AC or HVAC technician. When the breaker on the outside unit trips, all you need to do is reset it. However, if the problem is the blower belt, it will need to be changed. This aspect of troubleshooting is best handled by professionals. It is mainly because they know how to do it correctly without causing any more issues.
3. AC Is Not Cooling – Everything appears to be working fine, but the room is not cooling. Believe it or not, this is one of the most common problems. It mostly happens because we cheat on maintenance. It could happen due to a multitude of reasons, all of which would ideally be covered if you get regular maintenance work done on the AC.
The cooling efficiency of the AC declines due to dirty and clogged air filters, blockage in condensate drain or low refrigerant level.
The Solution – Let’s start with the simple one first, which is dirty air filters. After removing the dirty air filters, you can scrub them clean with water and brush. If cleaning is not possible, then replace them completely. Next is unblocking the condensate drain. Use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner and suck out the debris which has accumulated inside the drain and caused a blockage. Finally, we come to levelling the refrigerant. This is something which you should let an HVAC expert handle. They know which refrigerant is needed and in what quantity. Also, they have the appropriate tools to open the unit to top up the refrigerant. Most importantly, they can verify why the refrigerant ran low and solve the problem at the root level so that there are no further recurrences.
4. Leaky AC Unit – Leaking water from AC, causing wet spots on the floor and dampness on the walls, spells trouble. Not only is it a health hazard, but can also damage the objects in your home and decrease the effectiveness of your AC. It could be caused by blocked condensate pipe, damaged drain pan or faulty condensate pump.
The Solution – The solution for the first two problems is simple. If the condensate drain is clogged, unclog it with the help of a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. If the drain pan has holes and cracks, seal them with an appropriate sealant. However, if it is beyond repair, change it completely. If the condensate pump is not working, call a technician to have a look and rectify the problem. This is a technical aspect and requires professional help because only they are qualified to take corrective action in the present pump or change it altogether.
5. The Unit Keeps Tripping The Circuit Breaker – If your unit keeps tripping the circuit breaker, it is an indication of loose or broken wiring, a weak breaker, defective capacitor or fault in the grounding of the compressor.
The Solution – Loose wiring will need tightening, and broken wiring will need replacing. A weak breaker and defective capacitor will also need replacement with something stronger, which can bear the operating load of your AC. To ensure proper grounding of the compressor, you will have to call for professional help. Often we try to look for bigger problems where none exist. Before jumping the gun and calling for an AC technician, look for obvious problems. You can tackle more than half of them yourself. If you still fail, only then call for the experts. Not that they cannot handle small problems or consider them beneath them, it’s just that it will save you a few precious dollars. For everything else feel free to call us at 1-888-729-8452. We are experts in everything AC and take pride in resolving your air conditioner problems and solutions.
