Air Conditioner not Cooling

jasonhsanders7

AC not blowing cold air in Athens, AL? Here are some common symptoms:

  • Vents Not Blowing Cold Air
  • Fan Not Coming On
  • Warm Air Coming Out
  • Power Bill Too High

Here are three tips that you can do at home before you call a pro – but know your limits.  This is only advisable if your indoor coils are easily visible, but this isn’t always the case.  If you have to go under your home or into your attic to peek inside your air handler, it’s best to just skip it and call the pros.

  • Check your filter.  A dirty filter makes for reduced air flow over your coils, and that can make the coils become too cold, then you have a frozen coil and no air can pass through.  Worse, they won’t thaw after changing the filter, so you may just have to turn off your air conditioner, let the frozen coils thaw, and try again to see if a clogged filter was the problem.
  • Filter clean?  Check your drain pan.  A clogged drain should trip the safety float switch, and you may get no air at all, or warm air blowing from your air conditioner.  Clear the clog, and when the float switch resets, you very well may be good to go.
  • If your filter is ok, and the drain is dry, then the coils themselves (indoor and outdoor) may be dirty, and restricting air flow.  You can clean these yourself if you can reach them both.  The best clean is a chemical clean, and mixing wrong may do more harm than good, so be sure your follow the instructions on mixing.  Also, the chemical can cause nasty burns, so handle with care.

Now we are getting outside of the DIY area, but here are some other common failures.  Everything from here on out, just call L & F Services, or another pro to get your air conditioner repair started.

  • Low refrigerant.  If your unit has developed a leak, when the refrigerant gets too low to function, you will find a frozen coil inside, and an air conditioner that won’t cool your home.  Be prepared to have a leak check performed, and refrigerant added once the leak is repaired.
  • Fan motor not working or failing.  If either fan motor (indoor or outdoor) begins to fail, then you will see slower than normal RPM’s, intermittent operation, or complete failure.  Any of these conditions will cause your air conditioner not to function.  A new motor and capacitor is usually the cure.
  • Faulty metering device.  A failing piston or expansion valve will really make your air conditioner run haywire.  A new metering device, and most often, all new refrigerant is the prescription in most cases.  We are starting to get into the major repairs with this one.
  • Compressor not working or failing.  The compressor is the heart of your air conditioner, and if you can’t compress the refrigerant, then you can’t cool your home.  This is a big expense, and is often the single most expensive component within your air conditioning system.  A compressor is not usually serviceable, and must be replaced.  Most people consider just getting a new air conditioning system with this one.
  • Leaky duct work. If you have leaking air ducts, this will result in less air flow through your vents.

 

This has been a list of some, but not all of the common points of failure.  We didn’t even mention contactors, fuses, transformers or circuit boards because we just can’t list them all, and many of the symptoms will lead you in the wrong direction unless you have a few years experience under your belt.  Still, all of the experience in the world can’t replace a good understanding of what is actually happening inside of your unit, so just call L & F Services to get the best of both, and keep your unit running at its best.

Also serving Decatur, Hartselle and Madison, AL.