When your air conditioner is just plain not working, it seems obvious that repairs are necessary. Or who knows, maybe you need a whole new air conditioner! Here’s the thing, though: sometimes the problem isn’t as bad as it seems.
While we would never encourage anyone to DIY an AC repair—you could injure yourself, damage the system, and void your warranty—there are times when repairs are not actually necessary. Before you decide it’s time to call in the experts for an air conditioner that’s not working, go through this simple troubleshooting checklist.
1: Check Your Electrical Panel
The electrical panel, which is also sometimes called the circuit breaker box, is like a traffic conductor for the electrical needs and flow in your home. To prevent massive problems such as electrical fires, the panel will shut down a circuit if too much electricity is called for in that one place all at once.
Take a look at that panel, which will have switches all lined up. If one is flipped to the wrong side, it’s because it was tripped. Your air conditioner’s not broken, it’s just not getting any power. Now, if it keeps tripping the circuit breaker, that could indicate an electrical problem with the AC unit. But it might just be that too many things were plugged into the circuit at once, and there’s no problem at all.
2: Check Your Thermostat
Homeowners are often terribly embarrassed when they’ve called for repairs only to find that they simply changed their thermostat settings by accident. Save yourself from this fate by checking your thermostat before deciding repairs are necessary. It could be that a switch was bumped, and instead of being set to cool, it’s now set to heat or off.
Other thermostat possibilities include energy-saving, away-from-home programming being unintentionally activated, or even batteries at the end of their life sending inconsistent signals. Check thoroughly, and try new batteries, before you determine that you need professional help.
3: Check Your Air Filter
If the air conditioner isn’t entirely failing to start but is instead shutting down almost immediately every time it does start, you have a different problem. This is called short cycling and can be caused by a lot of different things such as an overheating blower fan motor or a leak in your refrigerant coils. These things need professional attention. But wait! It could be something simpler.
Your air conditioner’s air filter should be changed at least every single month during the hottest stretch of the summer. If there’s extra dust around your house, perhaps due to nearby construction or shedding pets, it might need to be changed even more frequently. A clogged filter can cause the system to overheat and shut down, cool off and start up, and overheat again immediately.
If you’ve been concerned about your air conditioner not working in Okemos, MI, perhaps we’ve helped you to solve your problem already. If not, reach out and get the help you need.
Contact A-1 Mechanical Heating & Cooling for AC repair in Lansing, MI. Comfort and Character You Can Depend On.