While it’s wise to hire HVAC companies when the AC develops problems, you shouldn’t rush to hire the professionals as there are some things you can do to fix the problems by yourself. This is not only convenient, it also saves you a lot of money. Some of the things you can do include:
Check the breaker
The role of the breaker is to control the power going to your house. If you turn on the appliance and you notice that it’s not starting, you shouldn’t rush to hire a professional. The first thing you should do is to take a look at the breakers. Have they tripped? If they have, you should raise them.
Inspect the thermostat
When you go for a long time without inspecting the thermostat, it’s common for it to lose its original settings. Sometimes all you need to do is to reset it and you are good to go. For proper functioning of the unit, you should set the thermostat at a temperature that is below the room temperature.
You also should take a look at the thermostat if you notice that the air conditioner isn’t cooling the house as well as it should. Sometimes the failure of the unit is due to lack of batteries. All you need to do is to replace the batteries and the unit will start working as it should.
Clean/replace the air filter
The air filter plays a major role in controlling the amount of air that goes into the house and air conditioner. When you go for a long time without cleaning or replacing it, your air conditioner tends to consume a lot of energy.
Instead of hiring an expensive contractor to give the unit a look, you should simply clean the air filters. The cool thing is that you don’t need to have specialized skills to clean the unit. All you need to do is to open up the appliance and find the filters. If they are too dirty, you should replace them with better, more efficient units.
Just like cleaning the air filters, you don’t need any skills to install the new filters. When buying the filters, ensure that you go with high-quality pieces that will not only provide you with great service, but also last for a long time.
Check the capacitor
The capacitor starts the condenser and fan in the compressor. When the capacitors are malfunctioning, they cause the motor to overheat and even shut down.
When the motor fails, the system doesn’t run as well as it’s supposed to. Before you hire a repair contractor, take a look at the condition of the capacitor. Is it working properly? Is it properly installed? If everything is working properly but still the unit won’t work, you should now consider hiring an expert.
Thaw frozen coils
When the coils freeze up, they tend to make the air conditioner work inefficiently. Have your power bills recently gone up? Before you hire a contractor to fix it, you should take a look at the coils. Are they frozen? If they are, consider thawing them.
The way to do it is to shut off the compressor to the system by turning the thermostat higher than your current room temperature. You can also set it to “Fan Only.” You should let the indoor blower fan to run for at least an hour, then the built-up ice will have thawed.
You should note that frozen coils are brought about by many factors. They can be brought about by dirty coils, low refrigerant levels, or blocked drains. It’s hard to fix these issues by yourself.
If the coils freeze again, you should now contact a professional who will determine the underlying issue and fix it.
Clean the air conditioner
Did you know that a simple thing such as giving the unit a good cleaning can go a long way at keeping your appliance functioning at optimum levels? When it comes to the outside unit, you should carefully clean the fan blades and remove any debris from the inside or near the air conditioner.
You also should remember to clean the condenser fins. When cleaning, air conditioner repair services Vienna VA recommend that you take care that you don’t damage the blades and fins as they tend to easily break.
You also should ensure that the unit is off before you start cleaning. You don’t want to be electrocuted, do you?
