AC Repair in West Jefferson, OH: How to Handle 3 Typical Problems

There can be a few causes why your air conditioning system won’t start: a tripped circuit breaker, wrong thermostat settings, a switched off switch or an overfull condensate drain pan.

Your air conditioner won’t start when you have a blown breaker.

To find out if one has tripped, locate your house’s main electrical panel. You can locate this silver device on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.

• Confirm your hands and feet are free of moisture before you touch the panel or breakers.
• Locate the breaker labeled “AC” and make sure it’s in the “on” location. If it’s overloaded the breaker will be in the middle of the panel or “off” position.
• Quickly move the lever back to the “on” spot. If it immediately flips again, don’t touch it and reach us at 614-879-9091. A switch that keeps tripping may mean your home has electrical trouble.

If your thermostat isn’t signaling your system to start, it won’t turn on.

The key part is ensuring it’s on “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your AC may not start running. Or you may receive. hot air blowing from vents because the heat is going instead.

If you rely on a digital thermostat:

• Put in new batteries if the screen is clear. If the monitor is displaying jumbled characters, buy a new thermostat.
• Make sure the correct setting is on the display. If you can’t update it, cancel it by dropping the temperature and hitting the “hold” button. This will force your AC to work if scheduling is incorrect.
• Try setting the thermostat 5 degrees colder than the space’s temperature. Your AC won’t start if the thermostat matches the room’s temperature.

Once your thermostat is calibrated correctly, you should start getting cold air fast.

If you have a smart thermostat, such as one manufactured by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, go to the manufacturer’s website for assistance. If you still can’t get it to work, call us at 614-879-9091 for assistance.

Your system usually has a shut-down switch near its outdoor unit. This device is generally in a metal box attached to your residence. If your unit has recently been worked on, the device may have unintentionally been left in the “off” position.

Condensate drain pans hold the additional water your equipment pulls from the air. This pan can be situated either below or inside your furnace or air handler.

When there’s a blockage or backed up drain, water can accumulate and trigger a safety control to stop your unit.

If your pan has a PVC pipe or drain, you can clear the surplus condensation with a custom pan-cleaning tab. You can get these tablets at a home improvement or hardware store.

If your pan has a pump, find the float switch. If the lever is “up” and there’s moisture in the pan, you may need to install a new pump. Contact us at 614-879-9091 for support.

If your AC is running but not providing cold air, its airflow could be congested. Or it could not have adequate refrigerant.

Your unit’s airflow can be reduced by a blocked air filter or dirty condenser.

A dirty filter can create many troubles, such as:

• Lower comfort
• Icy refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
• Inconsistent cooling
• Bigger cooling bills
• Causing your system to wear out faster

We suggest changing flat filters once a month, and accordion filters every three months.

If you can’t remember when you last replaced yours, turn off your equipment completely and pull out the filter. You can locate the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It might also be found in a connected filter case or wall-mounted return air grille.

Hold the filter up to your light fixture. If you can’t see any light you certainly should get a new one.

Weeds, plants and shrubbery can get in the way of your condensing unit. This may limit its airflow, impact its energy efficiency and affect your comfort. Here’s how you can get your system operating properly again.

1. Turn off power fully at the breaker or outdoor lever.
2. Get rid of yard rubbish around the equipment. Once you’ve gotten rid of bigger clutter within a two-foot space, you can use a paint brush or vacuum to gingerly clean the equipment’s fins. Kinked fins can also affect performance, so you can attempt to straighten them with a small knife.
3. Use a hose nozzle to slowly remove gunk off the fins from inside the system. Make sure to avoid getting moisture on the fan motor.
4. Install the top again and restore the power.

When cooling units don’t have adequate refrigerant, they’ll have difficulty removing heat and humidity from the air.

Here are several signs that your system is seeping refrigerant:

1. It takes an extended amount of time to cool your rooms and you’re constantly decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
2. Air conditioning moving through the registers isn’t as cold as it should be.
3. You’re hearing hissing or gurgling racket when cooling is on.
4. Your evaporator coil is frozen on account of having trouble handling warmth.

Think your unit is leaking refrigerant? You need a qualified heating and cooling service professional to fix the leak and restore the proper measurement of refrigerant in your system. Contact us at 614-879-9091 for help.

When it seems like you’re not getting ample amounts of cool air, there’s possibly a clog or detachment inside your air conditioning unit.

• The initial stage is checking your air filter. Buy a new one if it’s dirty.
• Then make sure the registers are open around your home.
• If you’re still not experiencing enough cold air, you should have your ducts inspected by a professional like West Jefferson Plumbing and Heating, Inc.. Your ducts may need to be fixed or relinked in limited space areas like your attic, basement or crawl space.