Air Conditioning Repair - 5 Things That Could Go Wrong With Your Air Conditioning and What to Do

There are a lot of different parts in your air conditioner so most people would prefer to hire a professional air conditioning technician to fix their problems but there are a number of different issues that you could check and save yourself the cost of a house call. The number one issue that people have is that their air conditioner unit is not blowing any cold air. Here is a quick list of things to look at.

1. The most common reason for this problem usually can be solved with the filter that is located in the air conditioning unit front panel. Most people can easily change the filter but because they forget to or neglect to (I'll do it next week), the filter ends up becoming clogged with dirt. Once the filter is clogged the condenser fins aren't able to breath and the unit freezes up. If this happens to your unit, change the filter and try turning the unit off for a couple of hours. This should allow the ice to thaw and the unit to work again.

To keep this from happening again, make sure to replace your filter as often as it needs. You can usually tell when it needs changing by holding your filter to a light. If the light shines easily through, the filter can continue to be used. If it is opaque then the time has come to install a new filter.

2. If you filter is clogged that means that your condenser fins might also be clogged, keeping them from working properly. You can use a brush to clean the fins off and often times this easy air conditioner repair will restore your unit to good working condition.

3. The third issue that might cause the problem is low freon pressure in your unit. Over time leaks can develop that will allow the freon in your unit to leak. While you can buy a gauge to determine if this is the problem, you can't replace the freon yourself. You need an EPA license to work with freon. This is why the freon pressure is one of the things that should be checked by an air conditioner repair expert at least once per year.

4. If the thermostat is turned down and the condenser fan fails to turn on, a burnt or shorted wire could be the cause. Sometimes the wires just get shaken loose so this is another easy fix.

5. Finally, as silly as it seems, if the unit isn't working, check all the fuses or circuit breakers to make sure that it is getting power. Air conditioning repair people report that this happens a whole lot more frequently than you would think.

Bottom line is that there are a number of things that you as a homeowner can easily check before calling in an air conditioner repair person. The important thing to remember though is that there is a reason that the air conditioner repair people require training to get their licenses.

It's because there are some potential problems that are too complicated for the average homeowner to fix. Make sure that you know your limits or you just might be creating more problems than you solve.