If your air conditioner stops working properly, it’s understandable that you’d make a beeline for the phone and call up a repairman as soon as possible. While this will certainly guarantee results, it might also mean spending money unnecessarily. So before you bring a repairman into the mix, consider the below troubleshooting steps to ensure that this isn’t something you can simply handle on your own.
Check the AC Thermostat
Before you get into troubleshooting, be sure to check the thermostat first. Believe it or not, many people end up calling an air conditioner repairman when the problem could have easily been solved by pushing a few buttons. When you call a repairman over, this is often the first thing they’ll check, for that very reason. So make sure the unit is set for a temperature lower than the one in the room.
Check the AC Filter
All air conditioning units have filters on them that clean the actual air they use. While this is an extremely helpful feature, it’s important that these filters receive regular attention, like cleaning. Otherwise, they not only cease to do their job, but they can also keep the unit from doing its job, as well.
Depending on your unit, the filter might need to be changed or cleaned once a month. So, if it’s been a while, this could definitely be the issue.
Check all Floor and Ceiling Registers
If you’re not feeling a comfortable drop in temperature, you most likely won’t be feeling air come through the registers in your home, either. But check just to be sure as it could simply be an issue that cold air is escaping.
Should you find that no air is coming through, check your outside unit to confirm that the fan is running. If you notice it’s not, then you’ll want to see if the breaker connected to it is on.
Check the Condensate Pump
Many air conditioner units feature condensate pumps. If yours does, you’ll want to check to see if the reservoir it drains into is full. A full reservoir triggers a switch that stops the unit from running, lest more condensation gets pulled in and overflows the reservoir. In that event, the entire system could fail.
After running through this checklist, if you can’t diagnose the problem or solve it on your own, you’ll have to call a repairman. But by going through these common problems, you’ll at least know that it will be money well spent.
