Air Conditioner Repairs You Can Make Yourself

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How You Know If Your AC System Is Malfunctioning

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When it is extremely hot outside, your AC system has to work extra hard to force heat into the already hot outside air. Furthermore, your AC system is most likely to break when it is under stress. Thus, the most likely time to have a problem with your AC unit is when you need it the most. On the other hand, just because your house is not as cool as you want it to be does not necessarily mean that your system is not performing properly. Consider the following before you call for AC repairs. 

Limitations of an AC Unit

One thing that most people do not understand about an AC unit is that turning your thermostat down does not necessarily mean that your AC unit will churn out cooler air or cool your home any faster than it already is. The problem is that an AC unit cannot cool air indefinitely. In fact, most AC units are designed to cool air by 15-10˚ at a time. Thus, if it is 85˚ in your home, and you have your thermostat set at 62˚, your AC unit must cool the air to around 70˚ before it has a chance to cool the air down to your thermostat setting. If you have a problem with heat gain, the air in your home may heat up as fast or faster than your AC unit can cool it back down. Thus, if your AC system is working just fine, but it is taking forever to cool your home down, you should look into what you can do to reduce heat gain. 

Signs of a Malfunctioning AC Unit

If you think that you have a problem with your AC unit, there are couple of things that you want to check before you call in the professionals:

1. Check your filter. A severely clogged filter can reduce the efficiency of your system by up to 15%

2. Check to make sure both your condenser and your evaporator fans are operating. If either fan is not working, you have a problem with either the capacitor or the fan motor, and you will need to call a technician for repairs. 

3. Check to see if you have ice on your evaporator coils. If you do have ice on your coils, you have a problem with airflow through your evaporator unit. Try replacing the filter. If that doesn't solve the problem, call an HVAC technician.

4. Check to see if you have cool air coming from your vents. If you feel air coming from the vents, but it's not cool, and every other component of your system seems to be running fine, you may be low on coolant. 

Once you have determined that something is not right with your AC system, call in the professionals. You will especially need to call in a professional to recharge your AC coolant because you have to have a license to buy and handle coolant. Taking the time to go over your system and make sure that it is actually not running properly will save you the expense of calling in an AC technician only to find that your system is fine, but you have a problem with heat gain. For more information, visit websites like http://thewrightguys.com/.


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