It’s a real pain when your air con does not work at its best on hot summer days even when nothing seems to be obviously broken. You may ask yourself: Why is the air conditioner not blowing cold air? What is wrong with my AC? What causes AC to stop working? Wonder no more as here we discuss the most common issues with Air conditioners that we have experienced throughout our years of service.
Like all appliances, air conditioners also need maintenance and occasional care to extend its life and performance. AC units that are neglected in the hot weather of the Sunshine Coast tend to be more troublesome than others.
Here is a list of common air conditioner problems and solutions that you can try for yourself or get repaired by professionals.
Air Conditioner Not Turning On
A circuit breaker is an electrical switch that works to prevent damage caused by sudden and excessive current automatically. If your AC and the circuit breaker is in the on position and there happens to be a short-circuit, the circuit breaker will trip cutting off power to your AC and preventing electrical damage.
Now when your AC circuit breaker trips, inspect your home’s main electrical panel and look for a labeled circuit breaker with ‘AC’ or ‘Air Conditioner’. Turn it back on to restore the connection.
But if you see frequent trips, it is not recommended to turn it on manually every time. There may be a deeper more dangerous issue causing the trip such as power surges, clogged air filter, compressor failure, frozen evaporator coil, electrical component failure, etc. Leave this repair to the professionals as the high voltage environment can be dangerous to amateurs.
AC Not Blowing Cold Air
With most AC’s in the market have a or programmable thermostat, it is easy to monitor the temperature in your space so that it’s at a low setting when you’re there and a higher when you’re not. If the temperature doesn’t seem right, ensure that it isn’t facing the sun which may cause it to register the wrong temperature. Or it’s quite common for owners to set the AC incorrectly to the ‘Fan Setting’. This is a simple fix and all you need to do is set the ‘AUTO’ feature on.
If that doesn’t seem to be the issue, check if the thermostat is receiving power. Dead batteries or a blown fuse may cause it to stop working. Shut off the breaker to safely examine the inner components. If you find a coating of dust or debris, carefully wipe it off with a soft brush. If nothing seems to work, call our technicians who can inspect or replace your thermostat.
The condenser placed usually placed outside the room/home, plays an important role in the process of cooling as it absorbs the hot air from the Evaporator allowing cool air inside. Being placed outside, the condenser is prone to be covered with debris causing the unit to malfunction. Ensure that there are 2-3 feet of space between the compressor and plants, pots or any other article. If this is something you feel confident of cleaning on your own, use a hose to remove the debris. For deeper cleaning, call our professionals to have the compression back in top condition.
Air Conditioner Leaks
An AC is a permanently sealed system which means whatever Freon is in there stays in there for the life of the unit. Freon is the refrigerant that absorbs the heat from your air. It differs from gasoline which you have to occasionally pour some in. So if some liquid is missing, this guarantees you have a leak somewhere.
When your unit is low on Freon, the coil that’s inside on top of the furnace will freeze over. This can either be in the outside unit, in the coil on top of the furnace or in the line set in between usually in the braze joints. You can call a technician and get it refilled but keep in mind that inevitably it will leak out sometime as the AC is a pressurized system.
Air Conditioner Running But Not Cooling The House
If you’re wondering: Why is my air conditioner running but not cooling the house? You’re not alone as many homes face this issue. A low refrigerant level is the most common reason why this happens. This causes a reduced heat exchange between the condenser coil and the hot air outside and between the then cooling coil and the air inside the room.
Other possible causes are
- A faulty thermostat that hinders or stops the cooling cycle
- Defective parts such as a faulty motor, bad control board or a choked capillary
- Wrong size AC unit for your space to be cooled
- Damaged compressor or
- Dirty evaporator coils which make it harder for the AC to dissipate heat
Dirty Air Conditioner Filter
A filter is a very easy thing to forget about but it does much more than just keep the air pushed out clean. A clean air filter facilitates the outflow of air and a dirty one does the opposite by restricting cold air from flowing out, causing it to built up inside and lowering the inner temperature. Over time, this can cause ice to form on the coils.
A dirty filter will hamper its primary functioning of removing dirt and allergy-causing pollutant from the air that can linger for months. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, bad air quality can make your symptoms worse. You might even end up with a mold problem in the ducts.
We hope we have provided answers to your question ‘How do you fix common AC problems?’
But if you feel underconfident to DIY the repair, contact Air Con Sunshine Coast for your AC troubleshooting needs. Air Con Sunshine Coast can troubleshoot and repair any air conditioner problem that is troubling you. We serve the areas in and around the Sunshine Coast and are known for our quick turnaround time. Contact us to get started and we’ll send our friendly and experienced technicians down to your place in no time.
Need to know what tools we use to fix your air con? We wrote all about them here.
