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. Check the coils and filter. Wash your condenser coil once a season, or as needed.best ac unit for small room Clean or change your filter regularly. how to charge a new ac unitThis simple step alone can increase the efficiency of your air conditioner. cost for new air conditioning unitIt 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.Imagine you get home from a hard day of work, only to realize…your air conditioner isn’t working. Your home is hot and muggy, and you’re a sweaty mess already!This is a common scenario when summer hits and the air conditioner overheats. When it overheats, it will trip the circuit breaker—and continue to do so until you fix the problem.

Here are 3 common reasons why this happens, and what you can do about them.The air filter is the safety net that protects your air conditioner from dirt and pollutants. But when it’s covered in dirt, it goes from friend to foe.A dirty air filter blocks airflow in your home’s air ducts, forcing your air conditioner to run longer—and harder— to cool your home. This will continue until:You don’t want either, right?Solution: Change the air filter once a month. Here’s our guide to choosing the right air conditioner air filter.Condenser coils are refrigerant filled tubes running through your air conditioner’s outside unit.  If these coils are dirty, then your air conditioner runs longer, causing the air conditioner to overheat.Here’s why: Your standard split A/C unit has 2 parts: the outside unit and the inside unit. The inside unit uses refrigerant to absorb the heat in your indoor air to cool it down. That hot liquid refrigerant flows to the outside unit where the refrigerant dumps the heat out into the world.

But if dirt covers the coils, the refrigerant can’t release the heat easily because dirt is an insulator. Basically, it’s like if you were wearing a sweater on a hot day. Your body would want to release the heat, but the wool would prevent the heat from leaving (talk about overheating!). So now the refrigerant can’t absorb more heat from your air, causing your air conditioner to blow out lukewarm air. Your air conditioner will keep running until it overheats because it can’t reach your thermostat temperature setting.Solution: Clean your outside unit using a special coil cleaning spray. Or call a professional to do it for you as part of a standard air conditioner maintenance visit.Similar to problem #2, not having enough refrigerant will also cause your air conditioner to constantly run, leading to it overheat.Solution: Look out for the signs of low refrigerant:If you’ve noticed these signs, then you’re low on refrigerant. If you’re low on refrigerant then you also have a refrigerant leak because refrigerant is never “used up” like gas in a car.