Welp, you’re in big trouble. It’s hot enough to fry an egg on the concrete outside and your air conditioner isn’t cooling your home very well. In Arizona, this is almost like a death sentence (a very slow and painful one). Most people will jump to conclusions and say, “Well, obviously you need more Freon!” But honestly, there are several reasons why this happens. To make things simple, we’ll give you a few things you can do right now that may fix this problem. If none of them work, you'll need to schedule an air conditioning technician to diagnose your problem. First things first:  Check the thermostat one more time to make sure it’s on the right settings. Obviously, if it’s accidentally set to “heat” your A/C is never going to come on. But also check the fan settings. If you have it set to “on” then the indoor blower will keep blowing air into your home even when it’s not being cooled. This gives the illusion that your air conditioner is low on refrigerant because it’s blowing cold air sometimes and warm air other times.

Set the thermostat to “auto” so your A/C only blows cold air.  If that didn’t work, then... Go to your return vent and check the air filter. Does it look like the one on the right in this picture? If so, change it (it should be changed once a month). A dirty air filter blocks return airflow to your air conditioner. This makes it harder for your air conditioner to circulate the amount of cooled air  needed back into your home.ac unit 20 ton If changing the air filter didn’t work, then...ac unit without exhaust When’s the last time you had the outdoor air conditioning unit cleaned? unit consumption of ac per hourIf the answer is “never”, well you may have found your problem.  We’ve already talked in detail about why you need to clean your outdoor unit at least once a year.

To summarize, the outdoor unit needs to be clean and clear of obstructions (grass, bushes, tree branches, fences)  so it can cool down the refrigerant, which is then used to cool your home’s air. You can clean the outdoor unit yourself using a water sprayer and a special A/C coil cleaner. But doing it properly requires a professional touch. And most professionals will clean it as part of an A/C maintenance visit. (Psst, we have a coupon that takes $40 off an AC tune-up visit) If you’ve cleaned the outside unit, and your A/C STILL isn’t cooling your home well, then you’ll need a professional’s help. They can check for things like low refrigerant, malfunctioning condenser fan, malfunctioning compressor, and so forth. If your air conditioner needs repairing, we have a coupon for $50 off A/C repairs. George Brazil has been keeping Phoenix-area homes safe, comfortable and energy efficient since 1955.On a hot 95+ degree day, no one wants to deal with melted ice cream.

That’s why we have air conditioning! Hot weather here in Austin means trips to Barton Springs, bike rides, and cookouts on the patio with tall iced beverages. It’s all fun in the sun until your air conditioning goes out. Below we’ll take a look at some of the most common AC problems and offer some tips for basic air conditioner troubleshooting. Air conditioning systems cool air using an evaporator coil within your inside AC unit. Inside the coil is a refrigerant such as Freon that cools down the coil. The AC unit draws in warm air and blows it over the coil, where the refrigerant absorbs the heat and the newly chilled air is sent back into your home. The hot refrigerant is cycled outside your home to the compressor unit where it transfers the heat outside, and then gets condensed and returned back into the inside unit. If your air conditioning unit stops blowing cold air, it’s a great idea to try some basic troubleshooting before calling for a repair. It could be that the cause of the problem is simple enough for you to fix on your own.

If there’s little to no air getting to the unit, the condensation on the evaporator coils will freeze up. The first thing to do is to check your air filters. If they’re dirty, you’ve likely found the culprit, as this can cause the unit to freeze up. Next, check the evaporator coil within your indoor unit. Turn off your AC at the thermostat and then remove the front panel of the unit. If there’s frost on the coils inside, that’s what’s causing your unit to malfunction. Usually, this problem can be easily resolved by turning off the unit long enough for the coils to defrost, usually about 90 minutes. Run the fan to help speed the process and keep air moving, but the “cool” setting should not be engaged on your thermostat during this time.Unit leaking Freon can freeze up due to lower pressure within the system. To resolve this particular issue, you will need to get a certified HVAC company to add more Freon and fix the leak. Depending on the location and nature of the leak, however, it could be a sign that the unit needs to be replaced.

Monitor your AC performance after any such maintenance, and if it happens again, it might mean it’s time for a new unit. Clean out the condensate drain. When AC units run, they not only lower the inside air temperature but also remove humidity. This moisture then drains through a small pipe to the outside. Over time, algae or insects seeking moisture can clog this drain, and that in turn causes your unit to shut down. You can pour a mixture of equal parts water and household bleach into the drain pan to clean out the line. Check the compressor outside. When the A/C unit kicks on, the outdoor compressor should start to run, and you should hear the motor and be able to see the fan turning inside. If it isn’t running, check your unit for a reset or overload switch (not all have them). You can also try spinning the fan blades clockwise with a screwdriver. If it’s not working, you may have a faulty capacitor that will need to be replaced. It’s also possible that the unit has shorted out due to an animal climbing inside the unit.