Is your air conditioning unit working? If your central AC is not cooling the right way, save time and money, get comfortable with these expert Do-It-Yourself AC repair techniques. Although a reputable repair professional should handle various kinds of central AC repairs, people will find techniques for handling simple maintenance and repairs by themselves in this article.
Air conditioning unit problems usually happen during the heatwave season. People need their units the most, and when Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition repair professionals have tons of job requests. It really pays for homeowners to do their own maintenance and repairs, both in getting the system back working as quickly as possible, as well as in cost savings.
For more information about the basics of the HVAC system, check out this site for more details.
Central air conditioning unit not working
If the unit won’t turn on automatically when its thermostat signals the unit to cool:
Check its main electrical panel, as well as its secondary circuit panels, if the fuse is blown or tripped breaker. If there is a problem there, make sure to reset the unit’s breaker by shutting it down and replace the blown fuse. A central AC usually connects to a dedicated circuit.
If its breaker continues to trip, there is a big chance that there is a short in the system, whether in the fan motor, capacitor, or compressor. Hire a professional electrician or Heater, Ventilation, and Air Condition contractor track down the trip’s source and solve the problem.
Make sure the unit’s thermostat is set to cool, and the temperature setting is at least three degrees below the room temperature.
Ensure that the power of the AC is turned on. Check the switch on the air handler cabinet or furnace. Also, make sure that the compressor’s 240-volt disconnect is turned on. You can usually find it in a metal box found near the compressor.
Remove the thermostat after turning off the AC’s power. Separate it from the base by pulling it straight out and replacing the batteries (only battery-powered). Ensure that every wire is securely attached to the terminals, and the cover will not pinch them. Replace the cover and wait three to four minutes before turning the system on again.
If the problem persists, open the unit’s thermostat and unscrew the wires from the Y terminal, and turn the power back on. Holding the wires by the insulation, touch the R terminal’s bare end for about two minutes. If the compressor runs after doing this, then there is a problem with the thermostat, and you need to replace them. If the compressor does not go on after holding the Y wire to the R terminal, turn it off and call a professional or check its capacitor.
Visit https://www.explainthatstuff.com/capacitors.html to know more about capacitors.
And lastly, check the compressor’s contactor and the capacitor. Usually, AC’s capacitor is the problem. The capacitor, also known as a run capacitor, is found in the compressor unit and sits outside the property or on a flat roof. It both starts the fan and the condenser.
If is faulty, the air conditioning unit will not run. The first thing homeowners need to do is to make sure the problem is the run capacitor and not its contactor. If there’s clicking on the unit followed by a buzz or hum, there is a big chance that what you are hearing is the fan motor trying to start its motor without its help.
Homeowners can conclude that the capacitor is broken or has failed. There are times that homeowners can get the fan spinning by pushing it counterclockwise using a long screwdriver or a thin stick. This will only work for one or two-cycle, but it will absolutely fail the next time the appliance is turned on. It is best to replace or change the capacitor.
If the compressor bleeps or clicks when turning on the thermostat, but it does not buzz or hum, there is a big chance that the contactor failed or broken and needs to be replaced. Just be cautious when handling capacitors since it holds an electrical charge even if you turn off the appliance’s power. This is why the best thing to do if you have a broken capacitor is to call a technician who specializes in fixing an air conditioner system for safety purposes.
AC is running, but not cooling
If you can hear the unit run, but does not cool well or not cooling at all, make sure that nothing is limiting or blocking the airflow anywhere in the system – the registers, the compressor, or the air filter. If the electronic thermostat is not displaying information, there is a big chance that the batteries are dead or wearing out. If the AC is blowing warm air, this would indicate that the blower motor and the thermostat are operating. Still, the outdoor compressor or refrigeration system is not working, or air is not circulating properly. Usually, it happens because of dirty AC filters.