Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be several explanations why your central AC system won’t cool: a triggered circuit breaker, wrong thermostat settings, a turned off switch or an overfull condensate drain pan.
Tripped Circuit Breaker
Your air conditioning won’t work when you have a blown breaker.
To check if one has tripped, find your house’s main electrical panel. You can find this gray box on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Make sure your hands and feet are free of moisture before you check the panel or breakers.
- Locate the breaker marked “AC” and ensure it’s in the “on” spot. If it’s triggered, the lever will be in the "off" position.
- Quickly transfer the breaker back to the “on” spot. If it instantaneously trips again, don’t reset it and contact us at 801-305-4777. A switch that keeps turning off could signal your home has electrical trouble.
Wrong Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t signaling your system to run, it won’t switch on.
The most important part is making sure it’s on “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your air conditioning will probably not switch on. You may also get heated air coming from vents being the furnace is on instead.
If you rely on a regular thermostat:
- Put in new batteries if the monitor is empty. If the readout is displaying garbled numbers, buy a new thermostat.
- Ensure the correct mode is on the display. If you can’t change it, override it by decreasing the temperature and pushing the “hold” button. This will make your AC start if the configuration is wrong.
- Test setting the thermostat 5 degrees colder than the room’s temperature. Your AC won’t cool if the thermostat is set the same as the space’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is set properly, you should begin getting cold air quickly.
If you have a smart thermostat, including ones manufactured by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, go to the manufacturer’s website for help. If it still won’t work, contact us at 801-305-4777 for help.
Shut-Down Switch
Your AC usually has a shut-down switch by its condenser. This device is generally in a metal box hung on your house. If your unit has recently been worked on, the lever may have inadvertently been turned off.
Blocked Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans keep the extra liquid your equipment pulls from the air. This pan can be positioned either below or in your furnace or air handler.
When there’s a blockage or clogged drain, water can accumulate and prompt a safety setting to switch off your equipment.
If your pan involves a PVC pipe or drain, you can get rid of the surplus liquid with a special pan-cleaning capsule. You can get these tabs at a home improvement or hardware retailer.
If your pan includes a pump, look for the float switch. If the lever is “up” and there’s water in the pan, you might have to get a new pump. Reach us at 801-305-4777 for help.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your equipment is going but not delivering cold air, its airflow might be obstructed. Or it might not have sufficient refrigerant.
Clogged Airflow
Your system’s airflow can be limited by a blocked air filter or dusty condenser.
How to Change Your Air Filter
A filthy filter can lead to numerous problems, like:
- Reduced airflow
- Frozen refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Inconsistent cooling
- Bigger electricity bills
- Causing your system to stop working sooner
We recommend replacing flat filters once a month, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t recall when you last replaced your filter, turn off your system totally and remove the filter. You can find the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It may also be located in an attached filter holder or wall-mounted return air grille.
Tilt the filter up to the sunshine. If you see a lot of dust, you certainly should buy a new filter.
4 Steps to Cleaning Your Cooling System
Greenery, vegetation and shrubbery can obstruct your condensing unit. This can restrict its airflow, impact its energy efficiency and change your comfort. Here’s a method you can follow to get your equipment running well again.
- Turn off power fully at the breaker or outside switch.
- Get rid of yard rubbish around the air conditioner. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the debris within a two-foot radius, you can use a paint brush or vacuum to gingerly clean the condenser fins. Bent fins can also impact capability.
- Use a hose nozzle to slowly take off dirt on the fins from inside the equipment. Don’t get moisture on the fan motor.
- Restore the power.
Insufficient Refrigerant
When AC equipment doesn’t have enough refrigerant, they’ll have to work much harder to remove heat and humidity from your house.
Here are several signs that your unit is leaking refrigerant:
- It takes an extended amount of time to lower the temperature in your home and you’re regularly decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
- Air conditioning moving through the ducts isn’t as chilled as it should be.
- You’re experiencing whistling or gurgling racket when the air conditioning is on.
- Your evaporator coil is frosted on account of having an issue taking on warmth.
Suspect your equipment is seeping refrigerant? You need a certified heating and cooling service expert to fix the leak and refill the proper amount of refrigerant in your equipment. Call us at 801-305-4777 for help.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it feels like you’re not getting ample amounts of chilled air, there’s probably a clog or detachment inside your AC unit.
- The beginning place is checking your air filter. Buy a new one if it’s dusty.
- Make sure the vents are open around your home.
- If you’re still not getting sufficient chilled air, you should have your duct system inspected by a expert like Select Comfort Systems Heating & Air Conditioning. Your ducts may need to be serviced or hooked up again in hard-to-reach locations like your attic, basement or crawl space.