Living in coolness in the summer can be taken for granted, particularly until you feel a taste of anxiety with an air conditioner failure. It can happen at the worst moments; you’re eating lunch and suddenly feel how warm your kitchen feels or you can’t fall asleep at night because you are so hot wrapped in your covers. Think you’re feeling this discomfort? It might be time for an air conditioner replacement.
Often times, it isn’t the thermostat’s error; the settings can be running properly, but it still says that the temperature is beyond 80 degrees. It’s usually caused by an ancient or faulty air conditioner that demands a call to the pros to find out what’s wrong. There are many reasons why air conditioners break down, especially bearing in mind the weather in Laurel. Here are a few things that you can examine for before you call H&C Heating and Cooling if you think your air conditioner has quit working:
- Broken outdoor fan motor: There is a fan motor on your exterior air conditioning system that helps move the heat from your home to the outdoors. If you examine your system and see that the fan isn’t functioning properly, it means that the heat transfer isn’t transpiring, causing the warm air to stay in your home. This problem can also initiate overheating of the compressor and other possible internal damage to your system.
- Dirty filters: It’s one of the most common issues that H&C Heating and Cooling sees. These dirty filters in your air conditioner lower appropriate airflow, affecting the air quality in your home, which is really problematic when allergy season hits. Filthy air filters can also reduce the efficiency in your home and increase your monthly energy costs.
- Blocked air flow: Always check for an obstruction or obstruction in your return-air or supply-air grille. This can cause your air conditioner to lose efficiency and reduce speed.
TIP: Make sure the grilles aren’t hidden by furniture or other home items, also. - Outside obstructions: Good air flow could be also hindered from outdoor blockages close to your system, such as shrubbery, trees, lawn chairs, etc. When the air flow is deterred, it can influence it’s cooling capabilities. Make sure that your system is uninhibited by obstacles and is cleaned routinely to lower the possibility of air conditioner replacement.
Once you’ve gone through these four system checks and your air conditioner still isn’t running, here are a list of questions and additional checks that you should look into and answer to get your system up and functioning again. (Only go to the next question if the system doesn’t turn on after doing the step before it):
- Is your thermostat temperature fixed below the indoor temperature?
- Is your system switch in the COOL setting?
- Is the outdoor unit power supply switch ON?
- Is the furnace/air handler power supply ON?
- Is your house fuse box/breaker box ok or has it blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker?
- If none of these things fix your system operation, call H&C Heating and Cooling at 301-960-3247.
Don’t let an air conditioner malfunction or replacement keep you awake at night. If you follow these procedures and keep your system under routine maintenance, you should have you air conditioner working again in no time. Our team at H&C Heating and Cooling in Laurel is always here to assist – give us a call at 301-960-3247.