Common Air Conditioning Problems Common Air Conditioning Problems Air conditioners can fail at any time without warning. If you live in a climate that’s as hot and humid as Atlanta’s, you are asking a lot of your air conditioner!  You probably know since living in this warm climate that any air conditioner outages can result in significant discomfort rather quickly. Many air conditioning problems are a result of insufficient maintenance.  The easiest repair is one that’s avoided altogether by keeping up on regular maintenance check-ups.  In fact, if you haven’t been keeping up on your maintenance and notice your air conditioner starting to slack, a maintenance check-up may be just what you need to get your air conditioner back up to speed.  Some common problems homeowners experience that go beyond regular maintenance and should have checked out include: the compressor failing to turn on, the air not coming out cool enough, low airflow, and leaks. Below are some ways you can diagnose air conditioning problems, descriptions of some common problems your air conditioning system may experience, and some special issues you should know about the refrigerant (freon) in your system.

Ways to diagnose a problem: Check fuse box or circuit breaker.  First thing to do if your air conditioner is not functioning properly is to check the fuse box or circuit breaker that services the unit.  The fuse may need to be replaced or the circuit breaker reset. Air conditioner turns on and off frequently.  The compressor and fan controls may be worn out. Unit turning on but not cooling.  If your unit is turning on, but the air isn’t cooling efficiently, your refrigerant may be low.  You may also need to clean off the evaporator or condenser coils by brushing them off or vacuuming them.  In addition, the filter may need to be replaced.  Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and reduce a system’s efficiency considerably.Dirty air filters and/or closed or obstructed supply-air and return-air grilles may cause insufficient airflow through your system.These are usually associated with low refrigerant or a clogged drain pipe.  Clogs can be fixed by clearing out the clogged pipe within the evaporator coil pan. 

Leaks should always be handled by a professional HVAC contractor. Common air conditioning problems:If your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, either it was undercharged at installation or it leaks.  If it leaks, simply adding refrigerant is not a solution.  A trained AC technician should fix any leak, test the repair and then charge the system with the correct amount of refrigerant.  Remember that the performance and efficiency of your air conditioner is greatest when the refrigerant charge exactly matches the manufacturer’s specification, and is neither undercharged nor overcharged.  In addition, refrigerant leaks can be harmful to the environment.If you allow filters and air conditioning coils to become dirty, the air conditioner will not work properly, and the compressor or fans are likely to fail prematurely. Electronic Controls and Sensors Failure.  The electronic controls and sensor that cause your air conditioner, fan and condenser to kick off and on properly are often the first components to go. 

Sometimes these sensors are merely knocked out of position causing the air conditioner to cycle constantly or behave erratically.  Fortunately, problems of this nature are easy to address compared to larger mechanical failures, and won’t cost you nearly as much. Fan and Condenser Failure.  Fan and condenser failure, on the other hand, can add up to some pretty pricey repairs.  water under ac unitReplacing burnt-out fan motors is usually worth the expense in order to get your air conditioner up and running again, though a failed condenser can be a different story.  how much for ac unit in houseA new condenser is the most expensive AC repair in the books, and depending on the age and efficiency of your current air conditioner, it might be a smarter investment to just upgrade to a newer unit.my ac unit is not running

Special Note About Air Conditioner Refrigerant (Freon): Contrary to popular belief, air conditioners do not consume refrigerant (freon) as a car consumes oil, so under ideal conditions it would never need changing or filling.  Therefore, a low freon level indicates a leak which should be repaired before adding more.  While most new system connections are welded to minimize leaks, many older units (8+ years) were connected with mechanical flared fittings, which can vibrate loose over the years, causing leaks. Problems with freon leaks: Low freon levels reduce efficiency of the air conditioner. They can freeze the evaporator coil, causing it to literally ice up. Freon is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) controlled substance, deemed hazardous if released into the environment. The heart of the unit is the compressor, which is cooled by the refrigerant.  Over time, low freon levels can cause overheating and premature failure of the compressor, often requiring complete replacement of the compressor or the entire condensing unit. 

As mentioned earlier this is a very expensive proposition. Always contact a HVAC professional when dealing with refrigerant (freon). Join our email newsletter Get up-to-date current news, promotions and industry tips. Didn't find what you're looking for?Written Of course, it would be the hottest day of the year that your air conditioner stops working! Getting it serviced can be expensive, and you'll just have to swelter while waiting for a service technician. Check out these steps that can possibly save some money, and help you keep your cool at the same time! Well, there are many reasons behind it but some normals i whould like to share with you.Is the unit simply not working at all, is it not cooling the air much, or is it simply blowing around warm air?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. This may seem obvious, but there are occasions when this is exactly the problem.

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. Make sure they are in place, turned on, and functioning properly. 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.Possibilities:Is air coming out of the supply vents, but it’s just not cold?If no air is coming out of your supply vents at all, skip to the second question. If you answered “yes” to this question, follow these steps:1) Check the thermostat fan setting— Does your air conditioner run cold air sometimes but hot air other times?

Make sure the fan setting is set to “auto” not “on”, which will cause your AC to blow air even if it’s not being cooled.2) Check your air filter— If the air coming out of the supply vents is weak and not very cool, check to see if the air filter is dirty and change it if necessary. A dirty air filter blocks airflow to the air handler.  Out of air filters? Here’s our guide on selecting the right home air filter.3) Check the the outside AC unit—Is the outside unit covered in dirt, dust or grass? Is it being smother by a tree branch or bush? Trim them back to give the outside unit breathing room. Is the outside fan not working? A professional needs to fix it. Otherwise the outside unit can’t cool down refrigerant to cool your home’s air.If none of these helped, your AC may be low on refrigerant. However, this is caused by arefrigerant leak, which you’ll need a professional’s help to find and fix.thank you.Written Air conditioning at a basic level uses electricity to power components to create heat transfer. 

You want to transfer heat from inside your house to a coil (thus cooling the house), then transfer that heat (via refrigerant) to outside your house via a coil that rejects the heat to the outdoor air.  The need to understand that electricity powers components, and heat transfer creates the effect of cooling can not be understated.  Without electricity powering your components properly and heat transfer (via coils and fans) you have no work being done.So we start by checking for power at the indoor and out door units, as well as the thermostat.  If all 3 have power (the breakers are on, the fans are turning) then we know we have the high voltages and low voltage present everywhere, (breakers can trips, fuses can blow, and transformers can smoke which all lead to a power loss somewhere).  Now that power has been established via fans/noise indoors, outdoors and a thermostat that is working, we need to check heat transfer!  Heat transfer can be interupted in many ways.  The simplest ways are to imagine what can mess with a fan blowing air across a coil and mess it up?

The fan not turning!The filter being stopped up.The coil being SUPER dirty because the filter is missing( or it is an outdoor unit full of grass/mud)!Most of the problems in the HVAC field are simple issues like these or electrical issues.  It will be uncommon to have to use gauges on a high pressure system unless you are changing out a compressor or unit. Learning some basic electricity and trouble shooting can help you out in a myriad of fields, even plumbing!!  (laws governing flow are consistent whether the potential is measured as voltage or pressure, and whether restrictions are measured in ohms or not. Written The first step would be to determine if your blower motor still operates.  This is easily known by putting your hand up to any supply vent (vents that push out air into your home).  If this is the case, then it's a good bet that the levels of Freon (also known as coolant, refrigerant, etc.) in your your air conditioner are not where they should be.Occasionally, you could have an air conditioner that has too much Freon, which is causing your system to freeze up, but more than likely you do not have enough Freon circulating through your system, which is causing your air conditioner not to produce cold conditioned air to your home. 

It is a common misconception that every so often, one must add a little more coolant to your system, not unlike topping of the oil in your car.  But this notion is false.  The coolant in your air conditioner system actually operates in a closed loop, meaning there is never a need to add more coolant... Unless there is a leak.Leaks are caused by holes, sometimes as small as a pinhole located anywhere where the refrigerant circulates.  The size of the hole determines how long it takes for the Freon (which is actually a gas) to slowly leak out of your system.  If the leak is small, it may take years for the system to lose enough Freon to where your air conditioner is noticeably not producing enough cool air in your home.Large holes will ensure the refrigerant  leaks out much faster.  Sometimes charging up a system, and spending hundreds of dollars to do so, is the wrong approach, as the Freon will only leak out days, sometimes weeks after it has been recharged. It's always important to have a professional HVAC technician determine where the leak is occurring, and how large the leak is, before regarding your system.

Written The compressor is not working due to a motor that is either burnt( which would lead to a short circuit ) or there is a leak in the refrigerant system ( more likely).A good gauge is to check if the air coming out of the condensing coil ( outdoor) is warm ( 40-60°C). If it is, you might have a choked evaporator coil and an overhaul ( Jetclean) would solve that issue.A 24hr high pressure N2 leak test will have to be done if there is a leak in the system. The worse case scenario is when the refrigerant pipes are embedded in the walls or hidden by costly built in cabinets. to be behind that... All the best in your investigation. Written There are many potential reasons.  I assume that the thermostat is adjusted properly and the power to the indoor and outdoor components has been turned on and the circuit breakers (or fuses) are OK.  I also assume that the unit is indeed blowing air, just not cold air.Go outside and see if the condensing unit is running.  If not then you could have major component failure, a control failure or a loss of the refrigerant charge;If the condensing unit is running, (the fan and the compressor) then take a quick look at the refrigerant pipes connected to the unit.