Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be several explanations why your AC unit won’t run: a blown circuit breaker, wrong thermostat settings, a switched off switch or a full condensate drain pan.
Triggered Circuit Breaker
Your cooling won’t work when you have a blown breaker.
To determine if one has gotten overloaded, find your home’s main electrical panel. You can locate this gray fixture on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Confirm your hands and feet aren’t wet before you check the panel or breakers.
- Look for the breaker identified “AC” and make sure it’s in the “on” position. If it’s triggered, the lever will be in the "off" position.
- Firmly shift the lever back to the “on” spot. If it immediately trips again, leave it alone and get in touch with us at 949-204-0859. A fuse that keeps tripping could signal your home has an electrical problem.
Inaccurate Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t signaling your air conditioner to work, it won’t activate.
The first step is checking it’s on “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your AC may not switch on. You might also get heated air moving from vents being the heat is on instead.
If you have a regular thermostat:
- Replace the batteries if the monitor is empty. If the monitor is displaying jumbled characters, buy a new thermostat.
- Ensure the proper setting is displaying. If you can’t change it, reverse it by lowering the temperature and hitting the “hold” button. This will force your AC to work if the configuration is wrong.
- Attempt to set the thermostat 5 degrees lower than the house’s temperature. Your AC won’t cool if the thermostat matches the space’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is adjusted properly, you should start getting refreshing air fast.
If you’re using a smart thermostat, including ones produced by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, go to the manufacturer’s website for troubleshooting. If you still can’t get it to work, contact us at 949-204-0859 for support.
Turn-Off Switch
Your air conditioner probably has a power-cutting lever around its condenser. This lever is typically in a metal box hung on your home. If your air conditioner has recently been repaired, the device may have unintentionally been turned off.
Clogged Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans keep the extra condensation your equipment removes from the air. This pan can be found either below or inside your furnace or air handler.
When there’s a clog or backed up drain, water can accumulate and trigger a safety setting to stop your system.
If your pan includes a PVC pipe or drain, you can get rid of the extra condensation with a formulated pan-cleaning capsule. You can get these tablets at a home improvement or hardware retailer.
If your pan involves a pump, look for the float switch. If the lever is “up” and there’s moisture in the pan, you could need to install a new pump. Call us at 949-204-0859 for help.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your equipment is going but not delivering cold air, its airflow may be congested. Or it may not have adequate refrigerant.
Obstructed Airflow
Your equipment’s airflow can be reduced by a clogged air filter or dirty condenser.
How to Change Your Air Filter
A dirty filter can lead to countless issues, such as:
- Limited cooling
- Frosted refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Uneven cooling
- Bigger cooling bills
- Leading your system to wear out faster
We suggest changing flat filters once a month, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t remember when you last replaced your filter, turn off your AC completely and remove the filter. You can spot the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It might also be located in an adjoining filter holder or wall-mounted return air grille.
Tilt the filter up to the light. If you can’t see through it, you certainly should get a new one.
4 Tips on Cleaning Your Air Conditioning Equipment
Greenery, plants and shrubbery can obstruct your condensing equipment. This could limit its airflow, lower its energy efficiency and impact your comfort. Here’s a way you can get your system operating smoothly again.
- Turn off electricity totally at the breaker or outdoor device.
- Get rid of plant waste around the unit. Once you’ve cleared larger debris within a two-foot area, you can use a paint brush or vacuum to slowly remove dirt from the equipment’s fins. Warped fins can also affect efficiency.
- Use a hose nozzle to slowly clean the fins from inside the equipment. Don’t get moisture on the fan motor.
- Turn on the power.
Not Enough Refrigerant
When AC systems don’t have sufficient refrigerant, they’ll have difficulty removing heat and humidity from your rooms.
Here are a couple of signs that your unit is leaking refrigerant:
- It takes an extended amount of time to cool your house and you’re continually decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
- Cooling blowing through the registers isn’t as cold as it should be.
- You’re noticing whistling or burbling racket when the AC works.
- Your evaporator coil is frosty as a result of having difficulty absorbing humidity.
Think your system is losing refrigerant? You need a licensed heating and cooling service professional to take care of the leak and refill the right measurement of refrigerant in your unit. Call us at 949-204-0859 for help.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it seems like you’re not having enough chilled air, there’s potentially a clog or separation within your AC system.
- The initial place is checking your air filter. Get a new one if it’s dirty.
- Make sure the vents are open around your home.
- If you’re still not getting sufficient chilled air, you should have your ducts checked by a expert like 1st Choice Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.. Your ducts may need to be fixed or rejoined in limited space locations like your attic, basement or crawl space.