Common Air Conditioner Problems and Their Solutions

Air conditioners can seem heaven sent on those hot, sticky days. Because air conditioners provide such welcome relief there are a few more frustrating problems to deal with than air conditioner problems. Just think about coming home during an incredibly hot and muggy day only to realize your air conditioner is on the fritz. The key to fixing air conditioning problems is to first identify them.

Identifying the Most Common Problems

• Frost Build Up: Because ac units deal with creating very cold air, and because they often deal with dehumidifying saturated air it's natural they will occasionally accumulate frost. This problem is especially common around evaporator coils. This problem occurs most often when you're running your air conditioner 24/7.


• Blocked Air Flow. This is another common problem and is often due to the accumulation of dirt, debris, lint and other airborne pollutants within your unit. This dirt and debris can occur in many parts of the ac system, including its fan blades or its filter.


• Blown Fuses: This isn't a problem with the system itself but instead a problem which can be caused by your air conditioner. Air conditioners utilize a lot of electricity and if you are using many other electrical devices at the same time it's easy to overload a fuse and blow it.

Fixing the Most Common Problems

Thankfully none of these problems are particularly difficult to fix, so you usually won't need to hire an air conditioner repair professional to deal with them.

• Frost buildup is the fastest and easiest to deal with because you don't need to get your hands dirty actually fussing with your machine or with your home's electrical system. All you need to do is turn off your air conditioner and let the frost melt. On hot days this will happen quickly, though it's a good idea to check your machine and make certain all the frost is gone before you turn it back on.


• To restore blocked air flow all you need to do is open up your unit and clean it out. Clean out your filter or replace it if it's extremely blocked and clogged. Clean off the fan blades and dust off any parts you can see which are dirty. Also check for block vents around the house. Is there a sofa or chair blocking airflow?


• Taking care of a blown fuse is also simple and follows the same standard procedure of either replacing the fuse or resetting your circuit breaker.