Living in coolness in the summer can be taken for granted, especially until you experience a taste of anxiety with an air conditioner malfunction. It can hit at the worst moments; you’re eating lunch and unexpectedly realize how warm your kitchen feels or you can’t fall asleep at night because you are so warm enfolded in your covers. Think you’re feeling this uncomfortable feeling? It might be the moment for an air conditioner replacement.
Usually, it isn’t the thermostat’s fault; the settings can be operating correctly, but it still reads that the temperature is above 80 degrees. It’s most often caused by an old or faulty air conditioner that needs a call to the experts to find out what’s wrong. There are many reasons why air conditioners fail, especially taking into consideration the weather in Erie. Here are a few things that you can search for before you call Patterson & Stirling Inc if you think your air conditioner has stopped working:
- Broken outdoor fan motor: There is a fan motor on your outdoor air conditioning system that helps move the heat from your home to the outdoors. If you examine your system and discover that the fan isn’t running, it means that the heat relocation isn’t occurring, causing the warm air to stay in your home. This failure can also initiate overheating of the compressor and other possible internal damage to your system.
- Dirty filters: It’s one of the most familiar problems that Patterson & Stirling Inc sees. These filthy filters in your air conditioner reduce appropriate airflow, affecting the air quality in your home, which is really problematic when allergy season hits. Dirty air filters can also decrease the efficiency in your home and raise your monthly energy costs.
- Blocked air flow: Always search for an barrier or blockage in your return-air or supply-air grille. This can cause your air conditioner to lose efficiency and slow down.
TIP: Make sure the grilles aren’t covered by furniture or other home items, as well. - Outside obstructions: Good air flow could be also deterred from outdoor obstructions around your system, such as shrubbery, trees, lawn chairs, etc. When the air flow is altered, it can affect it’s cooling capabilities. Make sure that your system is uninhibited by obstacles and is cleaned routinely to lower the possibility of air conditioner replacement.
Once you’ve worked through these four system checks and your air conditioner still isn’t working, here are a list of questions and steps that you should check and answer to get your system up and functioning again. (Only move on to the next question if the system doesn’t switch on after doing the step before it):
- Is your thermostat temperature set below the indoor temperature?
- Is your system switch in the COOL spot?
- Is the outdoor unit power supply switch ON?
- Is the furnace/air handler power supply ON?
- Is your house fuse box/breaker box intact or has it blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker?
- If none of these things change your system function, call Patterson & Stirling Inc at 814-308-0416.
Don’t let an air conditioner malfunction or replacement keep you up at night. If you follow these tips and keep your system under regular maintenance, you should have you air conditioner running again in no time. Our team at Patterson & Stirling Inc in Erie is always here to assist – give us a call at 814-308-0416.