Window AC Repair Tips Window AC repair is not a difficult thing, because these units are compact and don’t have lots of complicated parts. There are certain problems that should be addressed by a trained repair technician, but most people can handle basic window AC repair problems themselves. Typical window AC repair problems and solutionsAir circulates through the filters in your window air conditioner, and these filters get dirty from time to time. Dirty filters will cut down on your unit’s efficiency, which will eventually mean higher electric bills for you. If you want your window air conditioning unit to run well, it’s important to change or clean the filter once a month in the hot weather. There are other parts that need regular care and cleaning for the unit to run effectively. While you have the filter out, check the fins (which are located directly behind the filter). These can become clogged with dust and dirt, and that can impair the air conditioner’s performance to the point where it will freeze up.

To clean out the fins, use a medium density brush and an up and down stroke. If you find that the fins are covered in ice, defrost the unit by turning it onto the “fan only” setting. how to do maintenance on ac unitThe condenser coils should be cleaned at least once a year. hvac outside unit not runningIt’s an easy job: simply unplug the air conditioner long enough for the condenser coils to dry, then vacuum the coils thoroughly. heating cooling unit costYou can also clean the coils with a soft toothbrush, to get into the crevices.This is a common problem in older window AC units. A musty smell is usually caused by dust, dirt, and moisture building up and causing mold and mildew to form in the drip tray. To solve this problem, remove the drip tray from underneath the unit, and wash it in warm soapy water.

You should do this at least once a year.People sometimes panic if they discover water leaking from their window air conditioner. Usually the problem is because the unit is tilted in, toward the room, rather than out. If your window air conditioner is installed correctly it will drain out of the back of the unit. The fan isn’t blowing. If there is no air blowing through the unit, it’s probably because the fan motor is not running correctly. While the unit is unplugged, turn the fan blades by hand. If the blades don’t turn easily, lubricate the fan motor. If this does not correct the problem, the fan motor may need to be replaced. Window AC repair is a simple matter if it involves these problems. For anything more complicated, you should call in an AC technician, someone who is trained to handle more serious issues. Sponsored Listings of BBB Accredited Garland Air Conditioning Repair All BBB Accredited Garland Air Conditioning Repair 132 Degrees A/C and Heating

5 Star HVAC Contractors A & D Heating and Air A & R Professional Services A Better Deal Heating & Air Conditioning A Star Heat and Air Plumbing, IncFew things are as annoying as a broken air conditioner during a heat spell. But in the middle of the summer, you might have to wait days for a technician to show up to fix your unit. And that’s not to mention the money that you’ll have to dish out for repairs, often in the range of several hundreds.Fortunately, fixing a broken central or window-mounted air conditioner can be a DIY project.. Below are a few of the best do-it-yourself air conditioning repair and maintenance tips. While these won’t apply to every single solution, they will come in handy for most problems related to “low cooling” and “no cooling.” They will also help keep your air conditioner in good repair so larger, more expensive problems, do not occur in the future.Dirty air filters kill the efficiency of air conditioning units. During the summer, it is important to change yours once per month.

AC air conditioners are rated according to their MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value). This ranges from 1 to 12 for home air conditioning units. Select a filter with a higher number as these provide better filtration and use less energy. Leaky ducts are another common problem with air conditioning units. Window-mounted ACs, in particular, loose air through poor sealing. Find leaks by holding a stick of incense near the place where the AC unit and the window frame meet. If the smoke blows around, there is a leak. Tape and foam work well to fix leaks, as do caulking and sealant. Central air conditioning units usually have a compressor and condenser located outside of the house (close to the foundation). Make sure there is at least 24 inches of clear space in each direction from these parts. Spend a little time trimming back nearby shrubs, tall grass, and leaves to increase your unit’s efficiency.Direct sunlight is particularly bad for the health of your AC. You can extend the life of your unit and reduce repairs by keeping the blinds or shades down during the day (or installing it in an area that does not get direct sunlight).

Turn overhead fans on to help circulate the cooled air. Blasting cool air all day is just not good for your AC. You are better off turning it off (or at least down) when you are away from the house. This will increase the life of your unit. A programmable thermostat is a great way to do this. It will automatically keep your AC turned on when you are home and turn it off when you go to work. A programmable thermostat will also help reduce your monthly energy bills. Our favorite programmable thermostat is the Nest Thermostat. Check out our review of it here. of 637results12345NextDidn't find what you were looking for?magnifying glassAir conditioning, heat pump or refrigerator / freezer refrigerant gas or liquid leaks: How do we repair refrigerant leaks in air conditioning, heat pump, or other refrigeration systems? This article series discusses how to repair refrigerant leaks in air conditioning and cooling systems, using as an example, repairing a leaky or damaged air conditioning the cooling coil (evaporator coil) in the air conditioning air handler unit.

Our photo at page top shows the cooling coil in the attic air handler component of a central air conditioning system. As we explain in our articles on lost cooling capacity or air conditioning systems or heat pumps that are not working, a refrigerant leak in your air conditioner or heat pump means that eventually it will just not produce cool air (during air conditioning) nor warm air (during heating if it's also a heat pump). First we need an accurate diagnosis of the air conditioning problem. If your air conditioning or heat pump system has lost cooling (or heating) capacity, there can be various causes besides loss of the refrigerant in the system. As we also introduce at CONDENSING COIL REPAIR REPLACE, there is a big payoff in cleaning dust, debris, grass clippings off of a dirty refrigeration condensing coil (this includes outdoor condenser/compressor units for air conditioners and heat pumps and also the condensing coil on a home refrigerator or freezer). Because a refrigeration system works by transferring heat from hot refrigeration gas/liquid to ambient air around the condensing coil, if the condenser coil is blocked by dirt and debris, this can prevent complete cooling of the high temperature refrigerant gas back to a liquid state.

The result is you'll get refrigerant gas bubbles passing through the refrigerant metering valve. On refrigeration systems that include a sight glass you can actually see these gas bubbles passing through the system. More details are at REFRIGERANT SIGHT GLASS. Gas bubbles in the liquid refrigerant line can result in complaints of running water, gurgling, burbling, or similar sounds coming from the refrigerant piping system. See REFRIGERANT PIPING GURGLING. Watch out: Incidentally a second source of bubbling sounds heard in the refrigerant piping suction line near the compressor could be refrigerant oil pooling in that location. This oil pooling is not usually a consequential problem provided the collection of oil does not block passage of refrigerant in the system. In good HVACR design the refrigerant piping slopes back from the evaporator unit (cooling unit or air handler) towards the compressor/condenser unit so that refrigerant oil in the line finds its way back to the compressor motor.

At HVAC school we were taught that some HVAC technicians, in the opinion of the instructor (and our own as well), like the idea of a "delivery route" business, coming around periodically to replace lost refrigerant. In our view in many circumstances this can be a questionable practice. Air conditioners and heat pumps are designed as a closed, hermetically sealed system - they are not supposed to leak refrigerant, and refrigerant leaks are an abnormal condition. The refrigerant leak can be found and repaired. If the technician was in a hurry, perhaps given many service call assignments, or if s/he didn't want to be hassled by a customer complaining over an "attempt convert a simple recharge to a costly service call", or if the company just likes to deliver refrigerant (lots of repeat business), or finally, if the system with the refrigerant leak is large, commercial, complex, and old - at end of life, s/he may not have mentioned that refrigerant leak repair is even possible.

If you are faced with a costly service call or repair on an old air conditioning system (such as the need to replace a corroded, leaky evaporator coil) on a system that is at or near end of life, it is understandable that you might just prefer to wait and replace the whole system. But it is not air conditioner or heat pump system age that makes a refrigerant leak able to be found or not, it is system complexity. Sometimes, especially with large complex commercial systems, because tracing all of the piping and tubing and looking for leaks is time consuming, some people opt to just add refrigerant. Just adding refrigerant is not the best practice. And with old freon-based cooling or heat pump systems such leaks might be illegal as you are damaging the environment and making a prohibited release of Freon gases to the air. The refrigerant gauge set photo above is discussed in detail at GAUGE, REFRIGERATION PRESSURE TEST. A step by step example of adding refrigerant to an air conditioning system using a rather minimalist approach is illustrated

at SPLIT SYSTEM AC / HEAT PUMP REPAIRS. Sorry to ask readers to click again but for more space we have moved this topic to REFRIGERANT LEAK SEALANT USE "Stop leak" products have been in use for decades, particularly in the automotive industry where they were used to address leaks in automotive cooling systems. Those products traditionally used a carrier and fibers (originally asbestos) - an approach not suitable for refrigeration systems whose refrigerant metering devices may not tolerate particulates, even small ones. Since the 1980's several inventors (e.g. Packo & Bailey 1980, 1982, 1984) have patented other approaches (and chemistry) for sealing small leaks in refrigeration systems. Some of these refrigerant leak sealant products use triethoxyl (vinyl) silane that forms a seal when exposed to air and can seal small openings in refrigeration systems without clogging up the capillary tube or thermostatic expansion valve. This discussion has moved to COOLING / EVAPORATOR COIL REPAIR

I f an evaporator coil is leaking (or also if the condensing coil is leaking) you'll find out pretty quickly as refrigerant will be lost and the cooling system will stop providing cool air. You'll need expert diagnosis by an HVAC service technician. Sketch at left courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates. For an example of coil replacement costs see our condensing coil replacement discussion at CONDENSING COIL REPAIR REPLACE . Watch out: good practice following work on refrigerant piping systems or system evacuation and recharging within refrigerant includes the installation of a debris filter and refrigerant drier device. at REFRIGERANT DRIERS & FILTERS In case you didn't realize it, in order to solder a repair in an air conditioner or heat pump piping, tubing, evaporator coil/cooling coil, or condensing coil, it will first be necessary to remove all of the refrigerant from the system. The HVAC technician will connect a pump to pull a vacuum on the system to remove as much air, gas, debris, and moisture as possible.