When the heat is unbearable, most households turn on their air conditioners to work all the time. That’s when most breakdowns happen. If something similar happens to you, do not hope to find an available HVAC repairer who can solve your problem right away. Most of the time they are not available right away when you need them and you have to wait for several days.

Hiring professional AC repairers, especially for more complicated failures, is inevitable. Yet, for some common fixes, this cost can be avoided. It is enough to have the essential tools and know some basics of your air conditioner operation.

After troubleshooting, you can contact the HVAC contractor. Experienced technicians such as Mor Air Inc will always give you guidelines and useful advice. You will see if it is possible to solve the problem yourself or not.

Open the Airflow

When the outside temperature is high, it is easy to notice that your AC is not working. Simply, there’s no cold breeze, and all you can feel are heat and humidity in the house, even though the air conditioner is on. There is probably a blockage somewhere in the cooling system.

You don’t always need HVAC technicians for these kinds of problems. Make sure all vents are open. Then check the filters. You may need to clean or, as a last resort, replace them. After doing this, turn off the ‘cooling’ option on the thermostat and let the fan blow. After half an hour, the airflow should be adjusted (if the problem was dirt on the filters and vents).

When airflow is disabled, coils on the outdoor unit may freeze, interrupting the cooling process. Before you start deicing, be sure to turn off the air conditioner (turn off power switches and switch the breaker off). Use the hairdryer adjusted to the lowest heat to dissolve ice deposits. Pick up the rest of the water with an old cloth. After this, it is mandatory to replace the air filter for unobstructed airflow.

 

Cleaning Ducts

Over time, dust and dirt deposits can accumulate in the air ducts. In addition to interfering with the operation of the air conditioner, this debris can harm your health. Moisture combined with dirt is an excellent place for various types of microorganisms and the accumulation of allergens. Here you can see which health problems are caused by dirty ductwork.

Depending on how the duct system is constructed, some parts are not easily accessible. But, you will make a huge difference in air quality if you clean only those parts of the system that you can reach. This job requires a vacuum cleaner, cloths, or paper towels, a brush, and a little more time.

Cover all vents with damp towels so that dust doesn’t scatter throughout the house. The easiest way is to wrap the grill in the cloth and put it back. Check that the furnace filter is in place, and start scratching dust and dirt deposits.

Switch on the fan during brushing to eliminate excess dust from ducts. Turn off the cooling option, so you don’t freeze while clean. When you are done, lift the vent lid slightly and put the vacuum pipe in as far as you can. It will suck in any debris that the fan pushed out. Do this at every vent opening in the house. Finally, remove all grills from the vents and clean them thoroughly.

Don’t Skip Outdoor Unit Cleaning

Like air filters, dirty coils on the outdoor unit of your AC device can cause airflow problems. When the air cannot circulate, overheating occurs as the heat can’t come outside. That causes various malfunctions in the cooling system.

You can simply clean this part of the system using only water. You can use a garden hose with an extension that allows higher water pressure. Pressure washing will remove stubborn deposits from the coil. There is no need to use degreasing agents.

Check Electronics

You understand that any work on the power supply and wiring should be left to the professionals. But what you can do is a visual inspection. If your AC device is not working, first check that the problem is not in the circuit breaker. If it serves more than one house appliances at a time, it can trip.

Maybe you have a problem with the thermostat. Make sure to check the settings; maybe someone turned off the ‘cooling’ option or set only a fan to work. If this device is battery operated, it may be necessary to replace them.

If you know electronics and have tools like a multimeter and an insulated screwdriver, you can check the main box of the air conditioner. It may be that the wires are damaged or that a rodent has bitten them. If you are skilled, you can also replace the contactor yourself. That is a cheap fix, and it can solve a big problem. Always choose a factory authorized replacement part.

Guidelines on how to replace contactor see below:

https://dengarden.com/appliances/Air-Conditioning-Repair-The-Contactor

And here’s where your DIY project with electronics should stop. If none of this works and you think the problem with the air conditioner has to do with power or connections, call a professional HVAC contractor.

During the summer, HVAC technicians are super busy. If the breakdown of your air conditioner is not an emergency, try to figure out what’s wrong. That way, you’ll know if it’s feasible to solve it yourself, or you should wait for a professional.