When the hot summer weather arrives, many of us switch on our home air conditioning systems to stay comfortable. While these systems are great when they’re functioning optimally, they can be a real pain when they malfunction. Fortunately, we’re going to share with you our top tips for troubleshooting your air conditioning system when you experience a malfunction below.
Fan Running Non-Stop
One particularly frustrating issue you may deal with is that your blower fan seems to be running non-stop. This typically is the result of a bad setting on your thermostat. Check your thermostat to see if it’s set to On instead of Auto mode. When set to On, your fan will run 24/7. When set to Auto mode, the blower fan will only run when your air conditioning system turns on.
Not Starting Up
One really irritating issue you may run into is that your air conditioning system simply won’t turn on. If you notice that the thermostat screen is blank, it’s typically best to check the circuit breaker to see if it has tripped. If the circuit breaker is fine, you may have dead batteries in your thermostat that need to be replaced. If new batteries don’t do the trick, then a professional will need to assess the wiring and your thermostat to determine where the fault lies.
If your thermostat screen is working and you hear your system click but not turn on, it could be that the starter capacitor isn’t functioning correctly. This is a part that gives your compressor pump an initial jolt of energy to get started. Unfortunately, this isn’t a DIY replacement. You’ll need one of our professionals to replace this part for you.
Blowing Warm Air
By far, one of the most common situations that homeowners deal with is their air conditioning system blowing hot air. A great place to start to remedy this problem is to look at your air filter. If the air filter is overly dirty, it’s best to replace it so that your system can get back to working efficiently. If this doesn’t solve the problem, then the issue is typically one or two things.
The first is that the condenser and evaporator coils on your system are overly dirty. This prevents heat from being able to move between the refrigerant and the air. The second issue is that you have a low level of refrigerant in your system. This can happen if your coils or refrigerant lines develop leaks or their joints become loose. Both of these latter issues need to be taken care of by one of our helpful HVAC technicians.
Leaking Water
Throughout the normal air conditioning process, excess humidity is pulled out of the air. Normally, water droplets form on the evaporator coil and drop down into a drain pan. This drain pan is connected to a drain that gets rid of the excess water. Unfortunately, if that drain becomes clogged, it can prevent water from leaving the drain pan. Eventually, the drain pan will collect too much water and start overflowing onto your floor. If you notice that water is pooling onto the floor underneath your indoor air handler unit, clean out the drain for your drain pan.
Coils Freezing Up
If you start to notice that your system seems to be blowing hot air, take a look at your indoor air handler unit. It may have ice all over it. This can seem somewhat perplexing because the air inside your home is hot. The reason that an AC coil freezes up is that it’s typically dirty. When the refrigerant inside the coil can’t absorb heat, it gets colder and colder and eventually causes ice to form on the surface of the coil.
Typically, this is a fairly easy fix, as all you have to do is defrost the coil and give it a good cleaning. If cleaning the coil doesn’t solve the situation, check to ensure that there’s no blockage of airflow from a dirty air filter or closed vents. If neither of these is the problem, then you’ll need to consult one of our HVAC professionals for a further system evaluation.
Excessively High Energy Bills
If you just received an energy bill that’s much higher than what you’re used to during the summer, an inefficient cooling system could be to blame. There are multiple reasons that your system may be operating inefficiently. One of the simplest is that you have a dirty air filter that needs to be replaced with a new one. Be sure to check your thermostat settings to make sure that no one accidentally set the temperature too low. If neither of these solves your problem, the issue may lie with leaky ductwork that needs to be sealed up or an aging air conditioning system that needs to be replaced with a newer, more efficient one.
AC Not Cooling Evenly
One pesky problem that you may end up dealing with is that your cooling system isn’t evenly cooling your home. If you notice that one or two rooms don’t seem to be getting cold while the rest of your home is at an okay temperature, the first thing you want to do is look at the air vents for that room. Check to ensure the vent is completely open and no obstructions are blocking airflow out of it. In a lot of cases, the air vent may be partially closed, or you may have put something in front of it without realizing that it was restricting airflow. If your vent seems to be fine, then you may have a blockage in your ducts. You’ll want to call in an HVAC technician to further evaluate the problem.
Thermostat on But Not Working
If you change the setting on your thermostat and realize that it’s not doing anything, it can be frustrating. If the thermostat screen is on but none of the buttons are working, the problem could be as simple as having the child lock set. In other cases, the thermostat may be faulty and in need of professional replacement.
A Note on Professional Repair Service
It’s absolutely vital that when you notice something is wrong with your air conditioning system, you address the problem quickly. You never want to let issues go, no matter how small they may be. Neglecting to fix issues will likely just lead to costlier and bigger problems in the future. While some problems can certainly be handled on your own, don’t be shy about calling one of our HVAC technicians for professional repair service. When it comes to replacing parts under warranty, most manufacturers will require that you have a professional do the replacement for you.
Reliable AC Repair Service
Fox Heating, Cooling & Plumbing provides reliable AC repair service for the Wheat Ridge, CO community. We can also help with all your air conditioning installation, replacement, and maintenance needs. Give our office a call today to book your next service appointment with one of our friendly AC technicians.
