As I noted in my Hydronic Heating post, adding central A/C to an existing house that does not have a forced-air furnace can be a nightmare. Running duct work after the fact is expensive and cumbersome and moreover cuts into closet space or other living space. In most cases, it simply is impossible.How Lightning Strikes Affect Your Air Conditioner No matter the time of year, a thunderstorm can be unnerving for pets, children, and those who fear the loud boom of thunder and the bright flash of lightning. Even more frightening is the idea that a nearby lightning strike can affect your home’s electrical wiring, including your HVAC unit. Arkansas has 100 days of precipitation a year on average, which means it’s highly likely that a nearby lightning strike during a thunderstorm can damage electrical and plumbing fixtures. The initial lightning strike isn’t generally what damages HVAC units right away—it’s the power surges following an outage that can cause air conditioners to receive damage in a storm.

A power surge is a spike in voltage and varies in both duration and magnitude. While most homes use 120-volt, 60 Hz, single phase electric power, a power surge spikes the voltage to 169 volts, causing damage to appliances and electronics that rely on that power to work. When lightning strikes damage an air conditioning unit, the effect may not be immediately apparent. Over the course of a few months following a nearby lightning strike, you might notice your air conditioner doesn’t work as well. Here are a few problems with your air conditioning to watch for following a lightning strike: Damaged capacitor: The most common air conditioning part to give way following a power surge, a damaged capacitor can lead to further problems, including compressor failure. Blown fuses: If the voltage has damaged your air conditioner, you are more likely to encounter an air conditioning system which trips a breaker or blows the fuse due to damaged electrical lines. Burned wires: If a power surge damages electrical wires within the air conditioner or within your home, your air conditioner might not work.

Damaged compressor: One of the most expensive parts to fix in an air conditioning unit, a damaged compressor may not be noticeable right away. window ac units sizeIt can take weeks or months for an air conditioning unit to finally fail and indicate that the compressor was damaged.ac units on wall It’s important to have your HVAC unit inspected following a lightning strike to avoid more expensive replacements down the road.car ac parts in china How do you prevent damage to air conditioners following a lightning strike? For starters, it’s not possible to entirely prevent electrical damage from lightning strikes. Since we can’t predict when or where lightning can strike, the best you can hope for is little to no damage to your home if the worst happens.

If a direct lightning strike damages your air conditioner, for example, there would have been little you could have done to stop it. You can, however, take steps when a thunderstorm is predicted to prevent harm from power surges. First, it’s important to use outlet surge suppressors between appliances and the electrical outlet. This minimizes the damage left behind by power surges and can protect your devices from the effects of a surge. Second, you might consider panel-mounted surge protection to reduce the damage to your home’s electric gateway. Surge protection for your entire home is a good investment to save wiring and appliances from the damage a lightning strike can cause. Finally, to prevent damage to your air conditioning unit, turn off the air conditioner at the thermostat during a lightning storm. If power is not running to the unit when the lightning hits nearby, it’s less likely that there will be serious damage than if the unit was turned on. Don’t wait until it’s too late to have your air conditioning unit inspected following a lightning strike.

Call one of the professional HVAC technicians at B.R. McGinty at 501-847-6800 today to schedule an appointment. Get basic answers to common operating questions to keep your YORK® system running at peak performance. Keep your system up and running with these convenient tips that address common operational issues. If these simple steps do not solve your problem, please call your YORK® Contractor with your model number for service. Air Conditioning Troubleshooting Guide Is your thermostat set in the "cool" position (or “warm” for winter heat pump operation)? If so, is  your outdoor air conditioning or heat pump unit running? Did the circuit breakers in the circuit breaker box (or electrical panel) trip to the “OFF”position? Is the outdoor "disconnect switch" on your outdoor unit in the "ON" position? (The disconnect switch is usually a small metal grey box mounted on a wall near the outdoor unit.) Is the blower motor in your furnace or air handler running when your thermostat is activated?

(Make sure the furnace switch is in the "ON" position.) Have you changed your filter? (A blocked filter can cause your unit to shut down due to lack of proper airflow.) Are the air registers (supply or return ducts) plugged? Gas Furnace Troubleshooting Guide Is your thermostat set in the "heat" position? Is the temperature setting on the thermostat set higher than the thermostat's indoor temperature? Is the power turned on for your furnace? (At the thermostat, turn the fan to "ON." The fan should run when  power is being supplied to the furnace.) Did the circuit breakers in the circuit breaker box (or electrical panel) trip to the “OFF”position? (Check the SSU light switch on the gray box located at the furnace to make sure it is in the "ON" position.)What to Do When Your Home’s A/C Is Not Blowing Cold Air View Local Air Conditioning and Heating Companies When coming home after a long day out on a stuffy summer’s afternoon, the last thing you want to be greeted with upon walking through the front door is a blast of warm air.

If you discover that your air conditioner has stopped blowing cold air, you’ll probably wonder what to do for the fastest fix. Before investigating your AC's troubles, you should have a basic understanding of how it functions. For an in-depth look at residential HVAC systems, check out how heating and cooling systems work. All residential air conditioning systems, whether operating as a split system or a heat pump, utilize the same basic method to cool your home. Essentially, your air conditioner pulls in warm air from inside the home, extracts heat from it, and circulates the now-cool air through your duct system and into the different rooms of your home. This is accomplished by the two major components of an air conditioning system: the condenser (the unit that sits outside your home) and the evaporator. When your air conditioner is blowing warm air, there’s a good chance that your condenser is simply dirty. How to Clean Your Condenser in 7 Steps: Shut down all power to the unit.

Attached to the condenser should be a metal box that houses the disconnect switch. This is where you’ll turn off the 240 volts that power the condenser. The way to do this will vary depending on the particular system, so consult your system’s manual or call the installer before beginning. Generally, the power can be shut down by pulling a shutdown handle, removing a fuse, or disconnecting a power cord. Also make sure to turn off the circuit at your main electrical panel. After waiting a few minutes to ensure that all the remaining charge is gone, unscrew and remove the top panel or grille as well as any protective side grilles. Be careful with this step, as sometimes the unit’s fan is attached to the top panel or grille. If this is the case, make sure you don’t disturb any wires connected to the fan. When you remove the protective grilles, you’ll notice that the condenser coils are surrounded by flat panels, or fins, usually made out of aluminum. With a soft brush, clean the fins and coils of any debris or dust, taking care not to bend the fins, and remove any loose debris from the bottom of the unit.

Then, if possible, use a bristle attachment to vacuum away any remaining dirt or dust. Next, cover the wiring and the motor with a plastic bag (a garbage bag would work nicely) and duct tape, and use a hose with a trigger nozzle to clean out the coils and fins. Do not use a high-pressure stream, as the aluminum fins can be easily bent by water pressure. After the water has drained from inside the bottom of the unit, remove the plastic covering. If any of the fins are bent, you’ll want to have them straightened for optimal performance. This requires a special tool called a fin comb and is best left to a professional HVAC contractor. Make a note to call one to repair your unit before the heavy-use season begins. Tips for choosing a contractor. Screw the protective grilles back onto the unit. After you’ve finished cleaning the condenser, use a level to make sure that the unit is balanced properly. If the unit isn’t level, drainage problems may occur. Finally, turn the thermostat off before reconnecting the power to the unit.

After the thermostat is turned off, reengage the power to the unit at the main service panel and the disconnect box, and then set the thermostat to cool. After a few minutes, locate the two pipes connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor air handler. One of the pipes should be cool, and the other should be warm. If cleaning the condenser unit doesn't solve your problem, then you likely need to have your refrigerant recharged. This is something best left to a professional: read local reviews. Smart maintenance: Even if your AC is working fine, cleaning your condenser is something that should be done every year, ideally on a warm day before the heavy-use season. As you can imagine, the HVAC business is highly cyclical, so you want to avoid having to call for AC repair during the busy summer months. If you give your system a good cleaning in the spring, you can hopefully catch any small problems (such as bent condenser fins) before they bring your whole system down just when you need it the most.