AC Repair Tips You Can Try Before Giving Us a Call
Is Your AC in Need of a Repair? Try These Tips before Giving Us a Call
It’s a sweltering summer day when your air conditioning goes out or just doesn’t cool enough. Your first instinct may be to call us to send a technician out. We appreciate your business, but we hate to see you waste your time and money having us come out and troubleshoot a problem you may be able to fix yourself. Before you pick up the phone, do a few of the following casual checks.
If your window unit doesn’t run when turned on.
It’s not unusual for our technicians to come into a home and discover that the unit is not plugged in. Plugs can get pulled out accidentally for numerous reasons. If the unit is plugged in, check for a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse. Replace the fuse or trip the circuit if necessary.
If your condenser is running but not cooling enough.
First, check the thermostat and make sure someone hasn’t set it higher than your comfort level. If that’s the case, lower the temperature setting and see if that makes you feel better. If not, it could be that you have a dirty filter, condenser and/or evaporator coil. Check your filter first and make sure it has been changed recently.
With most systems the condenser unit is located outside your home, where it is likely to accumulate dirt and debris. To clean the coil you need to remove the protective grille and use a specialized coil cleaner that can be obtained from home centers. Warning: do not use a garden hose. The fins are made of light aluminum and could be damaged by water pressure. Cleaning the condenser can be a tricky and dirty job, so unless you have a lot of experience and expertise with HVAC systems, we don’t recommend you try it yourself.
The evaporator coil also accumulates dirt and is typically located inside the home in a chamber above the furnace and usually is not easily accessible. Most home owners prefer that a trained technician handle this task.
By the way, cleaning condensers and evaporators is among the services performed during our AC Rejuvenation, which is more than a tune up. If you are a service agreement customer (part of our Monument Savings Club), these chores will be performed automatically.
Another reason your air conditioner could operate sluggishly is it may be low on refrigerant. Replenishing refrigerant is NOT something you want to do yourself. This task requires special equipment and is governed by EPA restrictions that prohibit the venting of refrigerant gases into the atmosphere. When systems are low on refrigerant you could possibly have a leak, which are also difficult to detect on your own and require a special leak detection kit.
The Certified Comfort Experts at Western Heating & Air Conditioning are fully trained and know exactly what your AC needs to run cool again. We have been helping Utah Valley stay cool and comfortable for over 24 years. If you have checked these simple items and your AC is still not working, we would love an opportunity to serve you! Give Western a call at (801) 224-8899 or visit us online at www.WesternHeatingAir.com.
