Air Conditioning Repair 101: How To Handle Common AC Problems
Let’s face it, when you’re sitting inside on a 98-degree day, the grind of your air conditioning unit as it comes to a halt is a pretty terrifying sound. No one wants to be stranded without air conditioning in the dead of summer!
The good news is, most air conditioning issues take just a little bit of repair from a contractor with the right HVAC training to get everything back into good working order.
Help, No Air Flow!
If your AC is putting out only small amounts of cold air (or no cold air at all), there’s a good chance that your air filters need changing. Before panicking, check to make sure that your air filter on the unit isn’t clogged.
According to Heating and Cooling Cleveland experts, if the air filter gets dirty and clogged, it can lead the evaporator coil to get covered over with ice and stop air flow from circulating throughout the house.
If you’re still not getting cold airflow, try cleaning off the condenser coils. Just like the air filter, letting the condenser coils get clogged up can lead to other problems. In this case, your compressor can shut down due to overheating.
Have You Checked Your Fuses?
The second most common need for AC repair is due to blown fuses. Check to make sure this is the case before panicking!
To do so, open the disconnect block and check both the fuses inside. If the fuse is blown, there’s a good chance that something else in your AC unit is failing too. One way of making sure this isn’t the issue is to replace the disconnect block as well as the cartridge fuses.
If the unit still doesn’t work after these replacements, that’s when there may be a bigger issue on your hands.
Look Into The Access Panel
Sometimes, the issue could be rooted in the access panel to your air conditioner. To find out if that’s the case, remove the access panel and check to see if there is any internal damage.
Look for signs of rodents, birds, or other creepy crawlies that could have gotten into the access panel. In particular, keep your eyes peeled for chewed wires and connectors.
Before you get to work on any wires or insulation, discharge the capacitor and then safely replace the wires and remove all residue from unwanted “guests”.
Switch Out Your Unit’s Capacitor
All air conditioning units come with a part called a capacitor. This helps protect the unit from fluctuations in voltage which could affect your unit. However, they don’t last forever! If you haven’t replaced your capacitor or had it serviced in a while, there’s a good chance that’s where your problem lies.
According to the west palm beach air conditioning repair experts: to replace a capacitor, take a picture of the wires and connections. Keep this handy for install later on. Next, discharge the old capacitor by removing wires one at a time from the old capacitor.
As you remove each wire, attach it to the corresponding location on the new capacitor. Make sure all the wires are tight before securing the new capacitor in place.
Let’s Hop to It!
As you can see, AC repair in West Palm Beach, Aiken, or anywhere else doesn’t have to be all that bad. With some regular maintenance and routine check-ups, you can stay cool all summer long!