Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be a couple of reasons why your air conditioner won’t run: a triggered circuit breaker, wrong thermostat settings, a switched off switch or an overfull condensate drain pan.
Overloaded Circuit Breaker
Your cooling won’t start when you have a tripped breaker.
To see if one has tripped, go to your house’s main electrical panel. You can find this metallic fixture on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Confirm your hands and feet are dry before you work on the panel or breakers.
- Find the breaker marked “AC” and ensure it’s in the “on” position. If it’s triggered, the lever will be in the "off" position.
- Steadily transfer the breaker back to the “on” spot. If it immediately triggers again, don’t reset it and contact us at 479-308-8176. A breaker that keeps turning off might signal your house has an electrical problem.
Inaccurate Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t signaling your air conditioner to work, it won’t turn on.
The first part is checking it’s set to “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your air conditioning will probably not turn on. You may also have hot air moving from vents being the furnace is on instead.
If you have a digital thermostat:
- Put in new batteries if the screen is clear. If the monitor is showing garbled characters, buy a new thermostat.
- Make sure the right setting is displaying. If you can’t change it, override it by dropping the temperature and pressing the “hold” button. This will force your AC to work if the configuration is wrong.
- Attempt to set the thermostat 5 degrees lower than the house’s temperature. Your AC won’t start if the thermostat is set the same as the room’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is adjusted properly, you should begin getting chilled air quickly.
If you rely on a smart thermostat, like one produced by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, go to the manufacturer’s website for assistance. If it still won’t work, contact us at 479-308-8176 for help.
Turn-Off Switch
Your cooling equipment typically has a shut-down switch near its outside unit. This switch is typically in a metal box hung on your home. If your unit has recently been maintained, the device may have inadvertently been turned off.
Clogged Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans keep the additional water your air conditioner pulls from the air. This pan can be positioned either under or inside your furnace or air handler.
When there’s a clog or clogged drain, water can become concentrated and prompt a safety setting to stop your system.
If your pan has a PVC pipe or drain, you can drain the surplus condensation with a formulated pan-cleaning capsule. You can buy these tabs at a home improvement or hardware shop.
If your pan has a pump, look for the float switch. If the mechanism is “up” and there’s liquid in the pan, you may need to get a new pump. Contact us at 479-308-8176 for support.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your air conditioner is on but not delivering cold air, its airflow might be obstructed. Or it may not have sufficient refrigerant.
Clogged Airflow
Your unit’s airflow can be decreased by a clogged air filter or dirty condenser.
How to Put in a New Your Air Filter
A dirty filter can cause numerous troubles, such as:
- Lower comfort
- Frosted refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Inconsistent cooling
- Larger energy costs
- Making your system stop working faster
We recommend changing flat filters monthly, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t recall when you last replaced your filter, turn off your unit fully and take out the filter. You can find the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It could also be found in an adjoining filter box or wall-mounted return air grille.
Tilt the filter up to your light fixture. If you see a lot of dust, you need to replace it.
How to Clean Your AC Equipment
Brush, vegetation and bushes can block your condensing unit. This could reduce its airflow, impact its energy efficiency and change your comfort. Here’s a method you can follow to get your system running smoothly again.
- Switch off power totally at the breaker or external switch.
- Clear vegetation rubbish around the unit. Once you’ve cleared bigger clutter within a two-foot radius, you can use a soft brush or vacuum to gingerly remove dust from the equipment’s fins. Kinked fins can also impact efficiency.
- Use a hose nozzle to gingerly remove gunk off the fins from inside the equipment. Don’t get water on the fan motor.
- Turn on the power.
Not Enough Refrigerant
When air conditioning systems don’t have enough refrigerant, they’ll have difficulty removing heat and humidity from your rooms.
Here are several flags that your system is losing refrigerant:
- It takes too long to lower the temperature in your home and you’re continually decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
- Air conditioning blowing through the ducts isn’t as chilled as it should be.
- You’re noticing fizzing or burbling racket when the air conditioning runs.
- Your evaporator coil is icy as a result of having trouble absorbing warmth.
Suspect your system is leaking refrigerant? You need a authorized heating and cooling service expert to fix the leak and restore the proper level of refrigerant in your system. Call us at 479-308-8176 for support.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it appears like you’re not having ample amounts of chilled air, there’s potentially a clog or separation somewhere in your cooling equipment.
- The initial step is looking at your air filter. Buy a new one if it’s dirty.
- Make sure the registers are open throughout your home.
- If you’re still not getting adequate cold air, you should have your duct system inspected by a specialist like Siloam Springs Heating & AC. Your ducts may need to be fixed or relinked in hard-to-reach areas like your attic, basement or crawl space.