Air Conditioner Replacement: what to do when your air conditioner stops working

May 28, 2015

Living in comfort in the summer can be taken for granted, particularly until you feel a taste of discomfort with an air conditioner failure. It can hit at the worst moments; you’re eating lunch and abruptly realize how warm your kitchen feels or you can’t fall asleep at night because you are so toasty enfolded in your covers. Think you’re feeling this uncomfortable feeling? It might be an occasion for an air conditioner replacement.

Usually, it isn’t the thermostat’s mistake; the settings can be running properly, but it still reads that the temperature is over 80 degrees. It’s usually caused by an ancient or faulty air conditioner that requires a call to the pros to find out what’s wrong. There are many reasons why air conditioners stop working, especially taking into consideration the weather in Manassas. Here are a few things that you can search for before you call Woody's Sudden Service Inc if you think your air conditioner has quit working:

  • Broken outdoor fan motor: There is a fan motor on your outdoor air conditioning system that helps transport the heat from your home to the outdoors. If you examine your system and discover that the fan isn’t running, it means that the heat transfer isn’t transpiring, causing the warm air to stay in your home. This failure can also initiate overheating of the compressor and other possible internal destruction to your system.
  • Dirty filters: It’s one of the most familiar issues that Woody's Sudden Service Inc sees. These filthy filters in your air conditioner reduce appropriate airflow, affecting the air quality in your home, which is really tricky when allergy season strikes. Filthy air filters can also lower the efficiency in your home and increase your monthly energy costs.
  • Blocked air flow: Always check for an obstruction or jam in your return-air or supply-air grille. This can initiate your air conditioner to lose efficiency and reduce speed.
    TIP: Make sure the grilles aren’t hidden by furniture or other home items, too.
  • Outside obstructions: Proper air flow could be also deterred from outside blockages near your system, such as shrubbery, trees, lawn chairs, etc. When the air flow is altered, it can influence it’s cooling capabilities. Make sure that your system is uninhibited by obstacles and is cleaned regularly to reduce the likelihood of air conditioner replacement.

Once you’ve worked through these four system checks and your air conditioner still isn’t running, here are a list of questions and tests that you should check and answer to get your system up and functioning again. (Only move on to the next question if the system doesn’t switch on after doing the step before it):

  1. Is your thermostat temperature programmed below the indoor temperature?
  2. Is your system switch in the COOL spot?
  3. Is the outdoor unit power supply switch ON?
  4. Is the furnace/air handler power supply ON?
  5. Is your house fuse box/breaker box whole or has it blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker?
  6. If none of these things change your system operation, call Woody's Sudden Service Inc at 703-278-2036.

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 operating again in no time. Our team at Woody's Sudden Service Inc in Manassas is always here to assist – give us a call at 703-278-2036.