The Most Common Problems With An Air Conditioner That Won't Run

When the weather is hot and refuge is needed from the warm outdoors, having a functional air conditioning unit is vital. The great invention provides a comfortable indoor environment when the weather outside is too intense. Unfortunately, though, like all modern machines, air conditioning units not only provide comfort, but the occasional problem as well.

One can only hope that the problem is easy to fix. One of the most common problems with air conditioning units is frozen coils. Coils within the unit usually freeze after the unit has run constantly over a span of several days or weeks. Temporarily turning the unit off and allowing the coils to thaw will most likely put a unit back into working order. The thermostat that is connected to the inoperative unit, when set too low, may also cause coils to freeze.

Any thermostat set, typically, below 65 degrees puts the unit it is connected to at risk. Again, when the coils are frozen, despite the cause, the best route to take to return the unit to working order is to turn off the unit until frozen matter on the coils thaws. Frozen coils are the most typical problem with air conditioning units, but other, more complex problems, do occur. A circuit board beneath a unit's shell occasionally requires attention.

Sometimes the board simply wears out and a replacement is needed. Finding a replacement is easy; however, installing it is more difficult. Many people require professional assistance to replace a spoiled circuit board. Other internal parts of an air conditioning unit may potentially fail, but the circuit board is the most common. If the coils of the unit are dry and the circuit board is working, delicate, more complex parts of the unit may need attention.

If the dysfunctional air conditioner is a window unit, the Freon levels within the unit may be low. Basically, what gas is to a car, Freon is to an air conditioning unit. Freon is the chemical that makes the outside air, captured by the air conditioning unit, cold. Freon can be bought from various home improvement stores and window units are quite easy to refill. Before assuming the worst of a dysfunctional air conditioning unit, it is necessary to check that the unit is connected to an appropriate power source.

For window units, this is easy to check. Just make sure the cord connected to the unit is connected to a 120 volt outlet. When dealing with outdoor units, an electrical box is usually close by. Check to see if the box or any of the wires within it have been damaged. Using a voltage ticker to check if there is a current running through the wires is the most effective way to check if power is reaching the unit. Problems with air conditioning units, like frozen coils, bad circuit boards, and power sources, are easy to assess and, sometimes, even easy to fix.