Edit ArticleHow to Check Your Air Conditioner Before Calling for Service Two Methods:TroubleshootingPreventative MaintenanceCommunity Q&A Of course, it would be the hottest day of the year that your air conditioner stops working! Check out these steps that can possibly save some money, and help you keep your cool at the same time! It's not working at all: the condenser (for an outdoor unit) or air handler/furnace (indoor unit) are not running. Make sure it's plugged in. Whether kids, dogs, or an accidental tap with the vacuum cleaner, the plug could be partially or completely dislodged. Check the circuit breakers and fuses. Circuits, especially with older homes, are easily overloaded if the air conditioner shares a circuit with appliances such as irons, refrigerators, or microwaves. Check your thermostat (cooling control) and make sure it is set to cool at the current temperature, and working properly. As with plugs, sometimes settings can change by accident.

Check your fan blower belt for excessive slack, damage, or breakage. This can cause low air flow which allows ice to form, and thus causes low cooling performance. Repair or replace the blower belt. Allow the ice to melt before restarting the AC unit.water furnace ac unit Check the coils and filter.how to size split ac unit Wash your condenser coil once a season, or as needed.can an ac unit cause carbon monoxide Clean or change your filter regularly. This simple step alone can increase the efficiency of your air conditioner. It will also run less, increasing the life span of your equipment. A good sign that your filter needs changing is the fact of ice forming inside your inside cooling unit (evaporator section).

This may be difficult to see as the unit is sealed, but touch the outside metal and feel for a noticeable temperature difference. You may also see ice on the large line going to the outside unit (suction line). If ice is forming, it is possible that your air filter is severely dirty and restricting your normal air flow. This allows ice to form due to the fact that not enough heat is being introduced to your cooling section. Keep your air conditioner clean for optimal performance and reliability. Maintaining your air conditioner and having it serviced regularly increases the efficiency of your unit, reduces energy usage, and prevents wear and tear on your equipment. Do not attempt to diagnose any electrical problem unless you have been properly trained and/or are licensed. Do not attempt any repair work unless you are a licensed heating and air conditioning technician. Most states require a licensed heating and air conditioning contractor to perform any repair work.

Do not bend the "fins" on the outside of the condenser. Make certain to wash the coils in an "up/down" fashion. Do not immediately assume that if your air conditioner is not working that the thermostat is at fault. Tampering with the thermostat or is related wiring can cause more problems than you initially started with. If nothing is happening with the thermostat set, immediately call for service. Do not attempt to add or remove refrigerant from your system unless you are licensed by the EPA. Fines and penalties await those who tamper with or release refrigerant in an unsafe or unapproved fashion. When in doubt, stop. Immediately call a licensed heating and air conditioning contractor.Edit ArticleHow to Diagnose a Non Working Air Conditioning in a Car Three Methods:Collecting Initial InformationDiagnosing Airflow ProblemsDiagnosing Air Temperature ProblemsCommunity Q&A Driving around on a hot day in a car without a working air conditioner can be uncomfortable and even dangerous in extreme heat.

Diagnosing the reason that your air conditioning isn’t working will help you determine whether the problem is one that you can fix yourself or if you need to take it to a repair shop. You are also less likely to be taken advantage of at a repair shop if you already know why your AC is not working. Turn the air conditioning on while the car is running. The air conditioner won’t run properly unless your engine is running. The best setting for diagnosis is “fresh air” (not recirculated) with the air blowing out of the center vents in the dash and the AC turned on. Start with the fan speed turned to its highest setting. If your car has a “Max AC” setting, select that option. Listen for unusual noises coming from the AC. Feel the air coming out of the vents. Notice the air pressure. Smell the air coming from the vents. If there are unusual smells, you could have a leak. You may also need to change your cabin air filter. Inspect your car’s fuses.

Check all of the vents. Be sure that air pressure is coming out of the vents that you have selected. Move the vent selector to see if the air moves to the proper vents. If changing the selected vent does not alter the flow of air, you likely have a blend door problem, which will require replacing the doors inside the dash that determine the direction of the air flow. Blend doors change position when the temperature selection is changed, blocking the flow or permitting the flow of either hot or cold air. Sometimes an AC system with a mode door problem could be working fine, but the air flow is being directed somewhere else, like back out to the engine, instead of into the car. Look at your cabin air filter. Especially if the air coming from your vents smells funny or if you think you have had a slow decrease in pressure for some time, check the air filter. You will be able to see if it has a buildup of dirt or debris on it. It is possible that your cabin air filter is so blocked that it is interfering with your air pressure, and replacing it will be a relatively easy an inexpensive fix to your problem.

Your car manual may have instructions on replacing the cabin filter. If it doesn’t, try searching online for “replace cabin air filter” followed by the year, make, and model of your car (for example, you might search for “replace cabin air filter for 2006 Toyota Camry”). Check for a blower motor problem. The easiest way to do this is to try turning on your heat. If you have weak air flow when the heat is on as well, your blower motor may have gone out. A blower motor may have a resistor problem if your air only blows on the high setting but will not blow on a lower setting. Unfortunately, mice and other rodents sometimes build homes in car HVAC hoses and can get caught in the blower motor when the car is started. A loud noise (or bad smell) coming when the heat or air are running could be a sign of this problem. Find the front of your AC condenser. It is normally located in front of your radiator. If there are leaves or other dirt or buildup blocking it, remove them and clean the area.

Look under the hood at the AC compressor clutch. If your air pressure is normal but the air is hot, you may have a compressor problem. Checking to see if the compressor clutch is engaging is a simple visual inspection. The compressor is usually located towards the front of your engine, just inside the grill of your car. Your car should be running with the AC on to check the compressor clutch. The compressor looks like a small motor with a large wheel on the end. The wheel (which is the compressor clutch) should be spinning. If it is not spinning, you have a problem with your compressor. Check the tension on the belt of the compressor. It should be tight. If it is loose, you need a new compressor belt. Find any coolant system leaks. One of the most common AC temperature problems is low refrigerant. The AC system is closed, so refrigerant should not be lost unless there is a leak. Look for oily residue on or around hoses that attach AC components together. Oily spots may indicate a refrigerant leak.

You may consider using an electronic leak detector, which can detect much smaller quantities of refrigerant. There are also some testers that use dye, UV light, and protective glasses to find leaks. If you do find a leak, you will likely need to hire a professional to repair the leak. You will probably need new parts too, as many of the components cannot be repaired or patched.If your AC blows cold initially but then stops being cold after some use, it could be freezing. Excess air and moisture in the system may lead components to freeze (literally). Freezing can also be caused by an oversaturated receiver/drier or accumulator. Turning the system off for a while and letting it thaw will temporarily solve the problem. If the problem is persistent, you may need your system to be flushed or evacuated with a vacuum pump. Do not add refrigerant unless you are sure that low refrigerant is the cause of the problem because overfilling the system with too much refrigerant can cause severe damage.