How to Repair Common Air Conditioning Problems

 

Going through a long, hot summer is bad enough without your air conditioner suddenly malfunctioning in the middle of July. When you suddenly need hvac repair in the dead of summer, you could find yourself in a tricky situation. That’s why it’s so crucial to know how to troubleshoot some of the more common ac repair issues before they get out of hand. If you’re dealing with the beginnings of a problem with your A/C, here are a few tips for troubleshooting that will help you get your air conditioner back up and running.

Furnace Issues

When you start hearing clanking or banging sounds in your HVAC unit, the first thing to do is eliminate the possibility of furnace trouble. This process is as simple as lowering the temperature setting and listening for the sound of the furnace fan. If you hear the fan, your furnace is working. If you’re not hearing it, you know your furnace is the source of the problem. In this case, call a professional to repair your furnace. Don’t try to fix your furnace by yourself, since there’s most likely a bigger underlying issue that needs professional attention.

Part Replacement

If you hear a banging sound when your A/C unit is turned on, you may need to either replace or tighten a part inside the machine. When the pipes in your machine are too loose, they begin rubbing together, causing friction and an unpleasant banging sound that you won’t be able to ignore. To figure out what’s missing, you’ll want to take a look at the inside of your machine. If you have your user’s manual, use the guide provided to check and make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be. If you don’t see anything obvious missing, like a bolt or screw, check to see if anything can be tightened up.

Unclogging Condenser Coils

If your machine keeps shutting down for no reason, or won’t put out cold air, there could be a few things at play. Either your filter is dirty, which you can easily fix by removing the face of the unit and cleaning it by hand, or your condenser coils are clogged, leading to a lack of cool air circulating through the unit. If your issue is the latter, you’ll want to shut off power and turn off the circuit breakers in order to thoroughly clean your condenser coils by hand. If this still doesn’t get you anywhere, it might be time to get your machine professionally looked at.

Access Panel Troubleshooting

Sometimes, our A/C units lose communication with the main circuit power in our home. When this happens, it helps to check the wires running from the machine into the house to see if anything looks amiss. Using extreme caution, pry the face of the panel off by unscrewing and removing with gloved hands. If you’re seeing a frayed, broken, or loose wire, you’ve most likely identified the problem. If nothing looks obviously off, you may have to go in deeper to check.