Air conditioners have a tendency to act up right at the start of the cooling season or during extremely hot weather when they’re under more strain. The following tips can help you troubleshoot an air conditioner problem before calling in a pro.

Manual Thermostat Malfunctions

If your air conditioner cycles on normally but shuts off again before it properly cools your home, your manual thermostat may need a heat anticipator adjustment. Just remove the thermostat cover, locate the anticaptor level arm and adjust it by one calibration mark. You can try doing this a few times, but if there’s no improvement, contact your HVAC contractor.

Condensate Drain Issues

When your A/C isn’t keeping your home cool enough, humidity is excessively high and you notice pooling water under the unit, the condensate drain may be blocked or the pump may have failed. To troubleshoot the problem, try flushing the drain to clear any accumulated algae and dirt. If that doesn’t work, pour some water into the condensate pan. If it doesn’t drain through as it should, a bad pump is likely the culprit, and you’ll need professional help.

A/C Power Problems

If your A/C is suddenly unresponsive, don’t panic. Look for a tripped breaker or blown fuse in your main electrical panel or inside the system’s blower compartment. If the outdoor compressor unit stops working unexpectedly on an extremely hot day, check whether the pressure limit switch inside the access panel has tripped. If so, a simple reset may be all that’s needed get your A/C operational again.

Airflow Restrictions

When air volume through your HVAC system becomes restricted, you’ll see its cooling capabilities decline while your energy bills increase. You can help prevent this by inspecting the air filter every month and changing it when it starts to look dirty. Treat the outdoor unit’s cooling coil to a periodic wash with your garden hose, and keep vegetation and yard debris cleared away so it can’t block air circulation.

You can contact the pros at Powers Heating & Air anytime to help troubleshoot an air conditioner problem in your Peachtree City home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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