Window air conditioners at times just refuse to turn on. In most of the cases, the problem is a minor one and can be taken care of at home without getting a professional help. A little general knowledge about window air conditioners will help you to understand and rectify the associated problems in a better way. So, before you toss your old AC unit or call a repairman, check these five common problem areas and give DIY repairs a try. Check whether the power cord is completely plugged in; sometimes outdoor outlets or older outlets don't secure the plug tightly enough and need to be tended to. Then check the cord to see if there are any visible cuts or breakages on it. If the power cord is cut, safely unplug the unit and take the appropriate measures to fix the broken areas. If your window unit’s button interface is worn and can’t be trusted, you can also consider buying a cheap universal AC remote or replace the worn switch. If you suspect this is the case, it means the unit is not broken, just that you have no way of communicating what you want the machine to do.

A window air conditioner won’t turn on if the fuse of the main power source to the unit has blown. If that is the case, fix it by replacing the fuse wire. Once the fuse has been replaced, check the machine by running it again. If the fuse burns out again, provide a dedicated 120 volt plug for the unit. If the air conditioner draws power from a circuit shared by other appliances, it can’t draw required power supply and will blow the fuse repeatedly. By providing its own high-voltage plug, it can run smoothly with fewer interruptions. NOTE: Because of the power demands of an air conditioning unit, it may trip the safety buttons on certain outlets and the plugs will need to be reset to eventually restore power. Always check this as well. A similar protocol should be followed if you have a circuit breaker. If your AC won't turn on, check to see if the breaker has been tripped. If so, reset the circuit breaker and start the machine again. If it goes off again, you may need to rewire in order to provide a 120 volt circuit that operates only the AC unit.

Check the temperature of the thermostat on your unit. If it the unit is set to "heat," it won't turn on. If it is set properly, try lowering the thermostat slightly to see if it makes a difference. Sometimes the thermostat gets stuck, but you don't know because it appears to be set properly. This is why it is important to make adjustments as you troubleshoot.free stand ac unit If adjusting the thermostat doesn't make a difference, you more than likely have an air filter issue. how much are ac wall unitsWhen the filter becomes dry due to dirt accumulation, the thermostat can get stuck and the unit will stall. cost of running window ac unitYou can fix the problem by cleaning or replacing the filter. At times, the filter can even get stuck from accumulated debris, and if this happens, the window air machine can’t operate as the evaporator coil freezes.

That is why checking the thermostat is such an important troubleshooting step. Check the air conditioner as a whole to see if it is plagued with the debris or plant growth. A window air conditioner needs to circulate air, and if debris like grass or other objects get sucked in, the capacitor can be damaged, and in extreme cases, the air conditioner can also be blown. So, clear the debris and other vegetation growing around the air conditioner. If all the above mentioned methods fail, then a problem originating in the compressor, condenser, or evaporator might be the culprit. If that is the case, you have no option but to get a professional help.Air Conditioners in past used to be quite simple with just on/off switch and high, medium and low cool options. With improvements in technology, modern day air-conditioners have lot more electronics in it and thus they provide multiple modes of operation. Most of these modes are explained in the user manuals that come along with the air conditioners, but it is very important to understand the impact of each mode on electricity savings.

In this article we will try to explain various modes available in various air conditioners and will analyze their electricity saving potential: Cool mode is the regular or default mode in which the air conditioner runs as per the temperature setting and fans speed at which it is kept. Electricity saving potential in this mode depends on the temperature set in the air conditioner. Ideal temperature for thermal comfort and electricity saving is 25 degree centigrade (more details in our article: Ideal Air Conditioner temperature for electricity savings). In Fan mode the fan runs continuously and the compressor is off. This obviously has good energy saving impact because the compressor is switched off. Compressor is the most electricity-consuming component of an air conditioner. But the downside is that no cooling happens when compressor is off. It is better to use a ceiling fan in this case. There are days in a year when the comfort is low just because of the humidity. This happens more so in case you are located in a city that is closer to the sea.

It also happens during monsoons. During those days just removing the humidity of the room provides a lot of comfort. Running the air conditioner in dry mode helps as it removes the extra humidity in the air. The fan runs at low speed and compressor is on for short duration in large cycles just to remove extra humidity. This surely is an electricity saving option during high humidity days as even the fan motor is running at a slow speed and even the compressor is on for smaller duration. The air conditioner does not blow a lot of cool air in this mode, as the intent is just to dry the air and not to cool the room. Please note that it does not work as a dehumidifier (which has potential to make the air very dry) but is just good enough to make the room comfortable. In cool mode the compressor shuts off when the temperature reaches the level set in the thermostat but the fan keeps running. The compressor starts again when the room temperature increases. In the energy saver or power saver mode, even the fan switches off when the temperature reaches the level set in the thermostat.

So how does it help save electricity? Does it decrease comfort level? If the room is well insulated, then it may not. The temperature may increase slightly (not a lot) and if that does not disturb you then it is the right mode for you to save electricity. Also because the fan switches off and on, it makes sound every time it does so. If sound disturbs you in your sleep, then this may not be the right mode for you. This certainly is not an electricity saving mode. In fact it consumes more electricity. Ideal temperature for air conditioning is 25 degree centigrade, but this option starts the AC at 16 or 18 degree centigrade. If the room temperature is 35 degrees then the time it will take to reach to 25 degrees will be the same in both Cool Mode and Quick Cool Mode (with high fan speed). In fact extra electricity is spent to get it down to 16 or 18 which is not required if you like to keep temperature at 25. The Sleep mode increases the thermostat temperature by 1 degree after every hour till it increases temperature by 2 degrees.

This will help save electricity if you like to sleep at low temperatures as you save electricity with every degree of increase in temperature. If thermal comfort is your only priority it is better to use cool mode or energy saver mode at 25 degrees. The whirlpool technology adjusts the fan speed (to high, medium or low) based on the temperature of the room. It surely has a benefit over the Cool Mode as it saves electricity on running the fan motor. It surely is good to have such a feature in the air conditioner. A clean filter ensures smooth flow of cold air and room air, in and out of the air conditioner. This makes sure that the thermostat is able to sense properly and thus ensuring right operation of the air conditioner thereby saving electricity. Operating Air Conditioner in the right mode can always help you save electricity, so please make sure that you choose the right one. We will keep updating this article as we research more on the modes and options available in air conditioners with different brands.