Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be a few causes why your AC equipment won’t run: a tripped circuit breaker, inaccurate thermostat settings, a turned off switch or an overfull condensate drain pan.
Triggered Circuit Breaker
Your AC won’t turn on when you have an overloaded breaker.
To find out if one has gotten overloaded, go to your home’s main electrical panel. You can locate this silver device on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Ensure your hands and feet are dry before you check the panel or breakers.
- Find the breaker labeled “AC” and make sure it’s in the “on” position. If it’s overloaded, the breaker will be in the "off" position.
- Steadily move the lever back to the “on” spot. If it instantaneously triggers again, don’t reset it and call us at 703-278-2036. A fuse that keeps tripping could indicate your residence has electrical trouble.
Inaccurate Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t signaling your air conditioner to run, it won’t switch on.
The first part is making sure it’s set to “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your AC will probably not turn on. You could also receive warm air blowing from vents since the heater is going instead.
If you rely on a traditional thermostat:
- Swap out the batteries if the monitor is empty. If the readout is presenting scrambled numbers, replace the thermostat.
- Ensure the right mode is showing. If you can’t update it, override it by lowering the temperature and hitting the “hold” button. This will make your AC start if programming is wrong.
- Test setting the thermostat 5 degrees lower than the room’s temperature. Your AC won’t cool if the thermostat is identical to the house’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is set properly, you should start getting refreshing air quickly.
If you rely on a smart thermostat, such as one manufactured by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, look at the manufacturer’s website for assistance. If you still can’t get it to work, call us at 703-278-2036 for support.
Shut-Off Switch
Your AC usually has a shut-off lever around its outdoor unit. This switch is typically in a metal box mounted on your house. If your air conditioner has recently been repaired, the lever may have unintentionally been turned off.
Clogged Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans catch the additional condensation your system pulls from the air. This pan can be found either under or inside your furnace or air handler.
When there’s a blockage or blocked drain, water can become concentrated and trigger a safety setting to switch off your system.
If your pan includes a PVC pipe or drain, you can clear the additional condensation with a special pan-cleaning tab. You can get these tabs at a home improvement or hardware retailer.
If your pan includes a pump, locate the float switch. If the mechanism is “up” and there’s liquid in the pan, you may need to install a new pump. Reach us at 703-278-2036 for support.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your air conditioner is on but not cooling, its airflow could be blocked. Or it could not have adequate refrigerant.
Blocked Airflow
Your unit’s airflow can be decreased by a blocked air filter or dirty condenser.
How to Put in a New Your Air Filter
A filthy filter can cause countless problems, including:
- Reduced comfort
- Frosted refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Uneven cooling
- Larger electricity costs
- Causing your system to wear out sooner
We recommend changing flat filters once a month, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t recall when you last replaced your filter, switch off your unit fully and remove the filter. You can spot the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It could also be situated in an attached filter case or wall-mounted return air grille.
Tilt the filter up to your light fixture. If you can’t see through it, you need to get a new one.
4 Tips on Cleaning Your Air Conditioning Equipment
Greenery, grass and bushes can get in the way of your condensing unit. This can restrict its airflow, lower its energy efficiency and affect your comfort. Here’s how you can get your equipment running properly again.
- Shut off power completely at the breaker or external lever.
- Remove vegetation rubbish around the equipment. Once you’ve removed bigger clutter within a two-foot range, you can use a paint brush or vacuum to slowly clean the equipment’s fins. Kinked fins can also hurt capability.
- Use a hose nozzle to carefully remove gunk off the fins from inside the unit. Make sure to avoid getting moisture on the fan motor.
- Turn on the power.
Not Enough Refrigerant
When cooling systems don’t have sufficient refrigerant, they’ll have to work much harder to remove heat and humidity from your rooms.
Here are several flags that your equipment is losing refrigerant:
- It takes an extended amount of time to lower the temperature in your space and you’re continually decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
- Air conditioning coming through the vents isn’t as cold as it should be.
- You’re hearing whistling or bubbling racket when the air conditioning runs.
- Your evaporator coil is frosted as a result of having difficulty absorbing humidity.
Worried your equipment is losing refrigerant? You need a licensed heating and cooling service specialist to take care of the leak and replenish the right amount of refrigerant in your unit. Get in touch with us at 703-278-2036 for support.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it appears like you’re not receiving enough cool air, there’s potentially a blockage or detachment somewhere in your air conditioning equipment.
- The initial step is examining your air filter. Buy a new one if it’s filthy.
- Make sure the vents are open across your house.
- If you’re still not experiencing enough chilled air, you should have your duct system checked by a specialist like Woody's Sudden Service Inc. Your duct system may need to be serviced or rejoined in tricky areas like your attic, basement or crawl space.