Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be several explanations why your air conditioner won’t work: a tripped circuit breaker, wrong thermostat settings, a turned off switch or a full condensate drain pan.
Overloaded Circuit Breaker
Your air conditioning won’t work when you have an overloaded breaker.
To determine if one has blown, go to your house’s main electrical panel. You can locate this metallic device on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Make sure your hands and feet are free of moisture before you check the panel or breakers.
- Locate the breaker identified “AC” and ensure it’s in the “on” spot. If it’s triggered, the lever will be in the "off" position.
- Steadily transfer the breaker back to the “on” location. If it instantaneously triggers again, don’t reset it and get in touch with us at 251-471-2674. A fuse that keeps tripping might signal your home has an electrical problem.
Wrong Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t telling your air conditioner to start, it won’t switch on.
The key step is ensuring it’s set to “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your AC might not turn on. You could also get warm air blowing from vents being the furnace is on instead.
If you rely on a digital thermostat:
- Replace the batteries if the screen is clear. If the monitor is presenting scrambled letters, buy a new thermostat.
- Check the correct option is on the display. If you can’t alter it, reverse it by lowering the temperature and pressing the “hold” button. This will make your AC start if scheduling is not right.
- Attempt to set the thermostat 5 degrees colder than the room’s temperature. Your AC won’t work if the thermostat matches the room’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is calibrated properly, you should receive chilled air promptly.
If you’re using a smart thermostat, including ones made by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, look at the manufacturer’s website for assistance. If you still can’t get it to work, reach us at 251-471-2674 for assistance.
Shut-Off Switch
Your cooling equipment usually has a shut-off lever around its condenser. This lever is commonly in a metal box attached to your home. If your equipment has recently been serviced, the device may have inadvertently been turned off.
Overflowing Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans catch the surplus condensation your air conditioner takes out of the air. This pan can be situated either under or inside your furnace or air handler.
When there’s a clog or blocked drain, water can become concentrated and trigger a safety setting to stop your air conditioner.
If your pan involves a PVC pipe or drain, you can get rid of the extra liquid with a custom pan-cleaning capsule. You can buy these tabs at a home improvement or hardware store.
If your pan has a pump, locate the float switch. If the mechanism is “up” and there’s water in the pan, you might have to install a new pump. Call us at 251-471-2674 for support.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your system is on but not delivering cold air, its airflow may be clogged. Or it might not have enough refrigerant.
Clogged Airflow
Your system’s airflow can be decreased by a blocked air filter or dirty condenser.
How to Replace Your Air Filter
A dirty filter can create countless problems, including:
- Reduced comfort
- Icy refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Intermittent cooling
- Larger electricity costs
- Leading your system to break down sooner
We recommend replacing flat filters every four weeks, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t recall when you last replaced your filter, switch off your AC fully and remove the filter. You can spot the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It might also be found in a connected filter case or wall-mounted return air grille.
Hold the filter up to the sunshine. If you can’t see through it, you need to buy a new filter.
4 Steps to Cleaning Your Air Conditioning Unit
Brush, vegetation and bushes can obstruct your condensing system. This could restrict its airflow, lower its energy efficiency and affect your comfort. Here’s how you can get your unit working smoothly again.
- Switch off electricity completely at the breaker or outdoor device.
- Clear yard waste around the air conditioner. Once you’ve cleared all the clutter within a two-foot space, you can use a soft brush or vacuum to carefully remove dirt from the unit’s fins. Crooked fins can also impact effectiveness.
- Use a hose nozzle to carefully remove gunk off the fins from inside the equipment. Don’t get liquid on the fan motor.
- Turn on the power.
Leaking Refrigerant
When air conditioning systems don’t have sufficient refrigerant, they’ll struggle to remove heat and humidity from your home.
Here are a few flags that your system is losing refrigerant:
- It takes too long to lower the temperature in your house and you’re constantly lowering the thermostat.
- Air conditioning blowing through the vents isn’t as cold as it should be.
- You’re experiencing whistling or bubbling sounds when the air conditioning is on.
- Your evaporator coil is frozen on account of having trouble handling humidity.
Suspect your equipment is losing refrigerant? You need a authorized heating and cooling service specialist to fix the leak and restore the correct measurement of refrigerant in your equipment. Reach us at 251-471-2674 for support.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it feels like you’re not receiving enough chilled air, there’s probably a blockage or disconnection inside your air conditioning equipment.
- The initial place is examining your air filter. Buy a new one if it’s dirty.
- Make sure the registers are open across your home.
- If you’re still not receiving adequate cold air, you should have your ducts examined by a professional like Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. Your ducts could need to be fixed or hooked up again in limited space spots like your attic, basement or crawl space.