Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be a couple of explanations why your AC unit won’t work: a tripped circuit breaker, inaccurate thermostat settings, a turned off switch or an overfull condensate drain pan.
Tripped Circuit Breaker
Your air conditioner won’t start when you have a blown breaker.
To find out if one has blown, go to your residence’s main electrical panel. You can spot this metallic device on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Make sure your hands and feet aren’t wet before you check the panel or breakers.
- Look for the breaker marked “AC” and ensure it’s in the “on” spot. If it’s tripped, the switch will be in the "off" position.
- Steadily shift the switch back to the “on” spot. If it instantaneously triggers again, don’t touch it and get in touch with us at 208-578-4258. A breaker that keeps tripping might signal your residence has an electrical issue.
Inaccurate Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t signaling your system to work, it won’t activate.
The key point is checking it’s switched to “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your air conditioning might not start running. You could also receive heated air moving from vents because the heat is on instead.
If you rely on a regular thermostat:
- Swap out the batteries if the readout is clear. If the screen is displaying garbled letters, buy a new thermostat.
- Make sure the correct mode is displaying. If you can’t alter it, reverse it by dropping the temperature and pressing the “hold” button. This will cause your AC to run if the configuration is not right.
- Try setting the thermostat 5 degrees below the room’s temperature. Your AC won’t cool if the thermostat matches the house’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is calibrated properly, you should start getting refreshing air quickly.
If you’re using a smart thermostat, including ones manufactured by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, go to the manufacturer’s website for troubleshooting. If you still can’t get it to work, reach us at 208-578-4258 for support.
Turn-Off Switch
Your system usually has a shut-off device by its outdoor unit. This device is commonly in a metal box mounted on your house. If your AC has recently been fixed, the device may have accidentally been turned off.
Blocked Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans catch the surplus condensation your system removes from the air. This pan can be situated either beneath or inside your furnace or air handler.
When there’s an obstruction or backed up drain, water can build up and prompt a safety control to stop your equipment.
If your pan has a PVC pipe or drain, you can get rid of the extra liquid with a special pan-cleaning tablet. You can purchase these tabs at a home improvement or hardware shop.
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. Reach us at 208-578-4258 for support.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your equipment is running but not cooling, its airflow may be blocked. Or it might not have adequate refrigerant.
Obstructed Airflow
Your equipment’s airflow can be restricted by a clogged air filter or dirty condenser.
How to Put in a New Your Air Filter
A dirty filter can lead to a lot of issues, like:
- Lower cooling
- Frosted refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Intermittent cooling
- Bigger electricity costs
- Causing your system to stop working faster
We suggest replacing flat filters every four weeks, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t remember when you last replaced your filter, turn off your system completely and pull out the filter. You can locate the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It may also be found in a connected filter box or wall-mounted return air grille.
Angle the filter up to your light fixture. If you can’t see through it, you certainly should replace it.
How to Clean Your Air Conditioning Equipment
Brush, plants and sticks can block your condensing equipment. This could reduce its airflow, make it less energy efficient and affect your comfort. Here’s a way you can get your system operating well again.
- Switch off electricity totally at the breaker or external switch.
- Get rid of vegetation waste around the air conditioner. Once you’ve removed all the refuse within a two-foot range, you can use a fine-bristled brush or vacuum to slowly remove dust from the condenser fins. Kinked fins can also hurt capability.
- Use a hose nozzle to gingerly take off dirt on the fins from inside the unit. Don’t get water on the fan motor.
- Turn the power back on.
Leaking Refrigerant
When air conditioning units don’t have enough refrigerant, they’ll struggle to remove heat and humidity from your space.
Here are several flags that your unit is leaking refrigerant:
- It takes an extended amount of time to lower the temperature in your house and you’re continually decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
- Cooling blowing through the registers isn’t as chilled as it should be.
- You’re experiencing whistling or bubbling sounds when cooling is on.
- Your evaporator coil is frosted because it’s having an issue handling heat.
Think your unit is losing refrigerant? You need a certified heating and cooling service specialist to fix the leak and replenish the correct measurement of refrigerant in your unit. Reach us at 208-578-4258 for help.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it seems like you’re not having ample amounts of cold air, there’s probably a clog or separation inside your air conditioning equipment.
- The first stage is looking at your air filter. Get a new one if it’s filthy.
- Make sure the registers are open across your house.
- If you’re still not experiencing enough chilly air, you should have your ducts examined by a specialist like Age Heating & Cooling. Your ducts could need to be repaired or relinked in hard-to-reach spots like your attic, basement or crawl space.