Five troubleshooting tips for home owners trying to avoid an AC service call

One of the worst feelings in the world is having your comfort interrupted by an air conditioning system that isn’t blowing cool air (or isn’t blowing air at all). Chances are, you didn’t catch the change instantly, so your house is already noticeably warmer. Then when you recognized the problem, your heart sunk and you started sweating even more.

All Hours is always here to help, but before you call us, you might want to try a few troubleshooting techniques first.

Check your filter

This is advice that occurs frequently in our blogs. It’s so critically important (and in the grand scheme of things, it’s quick and cheap) to keep up with filter maintenance. A clean filter keeps you and your unit healthy. When your filter gets old, the health of you and your unit can both suffer. Imagine if someone glued a mask to your face, saturated it with dust and debris, and asked you to breathe. It would be hard to breathe, and your body might start to malfunction.

When your air conditioner can’t breathe, the same thing can happen, causing all sorts of problems. Check your filter!

Check your intake vents

On the same note, there can be other bottlenecks that make it harder for your unit to move air, causing unnecessary strain on your AC. Are the vents that suck hot air out of your house blocked with dirt, dust, or other objects? Even if one of your kids’ balloons gets sucked over a vent, it can mess with the airflow. 

Check your breaker box

Sometimes, for inexplicable reasons, breakers get tripped. You may have experienced this while toasting a bagel, microwaving bacon, and cooking eggs on an electric griddle all at once (no, we’re not speaking from experience). If your unit isn’t running at all, check the breaker box and make sure the HVAC switch is on.

Check your condenser

The heart of your AC system is the outside condenser unit that you probably take for granted. Have you let the weeds grow up around your unit? Have you cleaned your car five times this summer and never even thought about cleaning your condenser of dust, pollen, leaves, grass clippings, and other debris? If not, then you probably need to schedule a professional cleaning to get it back in fighting shape.

Check your thermostat

If the condenser is the heart of your unit, the thermostat is the brain. Is it old? Is it out of batteries? Is the data it’s showing making sense? Thermostat repairs and replacements are cheap and easy, unlike brain surgery. So it’s always worth a check before you call in professional help.

If you exhaust all your options, it’s probably time to call in AC professionals so you’re not suffering in hot air longer than you need to. All Hours can diagnose and fix your problems for fair prices that don’t break the bank. Give us a call!