Hello World! Welcome Friends! If you live in warmer climates like New Mexico, there’s a good chance that you can’t imagine living and working without an air conditioner to cool off your house or business space. You need this unit to lower the temperature and maintain the optimal level of humidity in the premises. In New Mexico, some households even keep ACs up and running 24/7.
To enable optimal operation of the cooling unit, regular maintenance is important, as explained in this source. However, it can often happen that your AC breaks even with regular upkeep and servicing. Certainly, your first thought when that happens is to call a professional AC technician to handle your problem. That’s always a good idea, but it won’t hurt if you try troubleshooting the issue before the experts come.
Start with Checking the Power Supply
The solution to a seemingly huge problem can sometimes be simple. So, when checking why your AC is not working, start with some basic things. The problem could be the power supply, that is, a tripped breaker or blown fuse. That often happens when the power network is overloaded, and a blown fuse is actually “collateral damage” that prevents even greater damage to your home.
So, for starters, assess the fuse boxes and check if all the fuses are in place. If not, reset them or replace the broken fuse if necessary. In case everything inside the circuit breaker works fine, check the power cable (from the outlet to the AC unit). Maybe it is damaged or simply not connected well. Finally, a good, old AC reset can be a no-brainer solution to the problem.
Inspect the Thermostat
Another troubleshooting method that doesn’t require you to be technically savvy is checking the thermostat. It’s a control panel that’s the “brain” of your cooling unit because you set everything through it. Therefore, if the AC unit doesn’t cool, it may happen you have simply chosen the wrong settings.
So take a look and see if the thermostat is set to “COOL” and whether the temperature is set correctly (experts recommend 71 to 77 F). Older units need more time to achieve the preset temperature, so be patient. If nothing changes, continue with the diagnostics.
Experts from https://bosqueplumbingandair.com suggest to always check batteries in the thermostat. It can happen they’ve simply gone dead. You can easily prove this if you see the notification that the battery is low or that the thermostat won’t turn on, even though it’s properly connected to the power supply. In that case, replace the batteries and restart the AC.
Take a Look at Air Filters
If the previous checks didn’t give results, you can proceed to the inside of the unit, that is, the air filter. It’s a replaceable or washable part of the system that must be clean to be passable. Note that when troubleshooting from the inside, you must turn off and disconnect your AC from the power supply for safety reasons. If you don’t want to do this yourself, you can always contact AC technicians for help.
There are two main reasons you should suspect a problem with the air filters – your cooling unit doesn’t turn on, or it’s up and running but doesn’t cool. Over time, layers of dust and debris can accumulate on filters, preventing proper air return (because your AC sucks in warm air and cools it before emitting it into your rooms). When that happens, your air conditioner will have to work harder to achieve optimal results, which can cause faster wear and tear and higher electricity bills.
If you don’t want that, check if it’s time to clean or replace the filter. If so, do it. Replace or wash the filter even if it doesn’t seem filthy and dusty, but three months have passed since the previous replacement. If you have pets or live with smokers, you should replace filters in your air conditioner more often.
Check Air Ducts
In the case of a ducted AC unit, ductwork can be the source of the problem. It’s a system of ducts that branch off from the central unit and spread cold air throughout your home. If anything blocks the airflow, the temperature regulation in one or more rooms may be poor. So, first, check whether all the rooms in the house are properly cooled.
In case one room is warmer than another, you can suspect clogged or damaged vents. Cold air escapes from your home through cracks and holes in ducts, and your AC doesn’t achieve optimal cooling. In case of clogged ductwork, a simple solution you can try is cleaning vents. Use a brush, wet cloth, and a vacuum cleaner to remove dust, dirt, hair, and everything else that could block the passage of air from these openings.
In case that doesn’t help, you suspect the problem is deeper inside the ductwork. If so, you have no choice but to hire professionals to take care of it. Skilled AC technicians have professional tools to reach deeper into the system and safely and efficiently remove possible obstacles.
A functional AC is a true blessing, as it helps you maintain optimal room conditions and enjoy staying inside. But if it breaks, don’t always rush to hire pros. Sure, they can always help you, but try to detect the problem yourself first. It can be an easy fix that won’t cost you a dime.
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Toodles,
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