How to DIY fix 3 common problems with your homes air conditioning

How to DIY fix 3 common problems with your homes air conditioning 

When your air conditioning suddenly stops working, it may require a professional HVAC engineer or it might be something as simple as a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker that most customers can attempt a DIY fix.

While many problems with your air conditioning will require a professional HVAC engineer to repair the issue, we find that sometimes a homeowner can fix simple problems with a little troubleshooting.

We have put together the following troubleshooting guide to help you address 3 of the most common problems you may encounter with your air conditioning.

It is important to note that many common problems with air conditioning can be caused by inadequate maintenance.

To help avoid any future issues, we recommend that you get set up on an annual maintenance plan for your heating and cooling systems. For more information about the maintenance plans that we offer at Custom Heating & Cooling please visit our website or contact us today.

1. Your Air Conditioning Won't Turn On

If your air conditioning isn't turning on, first check your unit outside to determine if the condenser unit is running. Make sure that the unit is plugged in and your thermostat is set properly.

It sounds simple, but lower your thermostat 3 to 5 degrees and see if that fixes your problem, and make sure your thermostat is set to cool. Many thermostats are very tricky and homeowners may be able to save themselves time and money by reading the manual.

Then check to see if a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker is to blame.

If your air conditioning still will not turn on or your coil is frozen, you may have a problem with your motor or compressor and you will need to contact Custom Heating & Cooling to repair your system.

2. Your Air Conditioning Is Not Cooling the Air

If your air conditioning will turn on, and your thermostat is set properly, but your system is not cooling, you may have a dirty or blocked air condenser unit. Your first step is to check the outside unit and clean around it and remove any debris or weeds that are blocking air circulation.

Next, check your indoor unit's filter and make sure it is clean. A lot of times, we find the filter is dirty, and when it restricts the air to the evaporator coil, the coil can freeze. If you have pets or run your a/c often, you may need to change your filter more frequently. A good test is to pull your filter out and check if you can see through it.

If your air conditioning is still not cooling air, you may have a problem with your compressor or refrigerant and will need to contact Custom Heating & Cooling.

3. Your Air Conditioning Isn't Adequately Cooling Your Home

If your air conditioning is on and set properly but is still not cooling your home to your expectations, you may have a unit that is not sized appropriately for your home.

Keep in mind that your system should be sized to keep your home cool on the average summer day (20oC to 25oC). The average system should be able to maintain an 11 to 14-degree temperature difference between the outdoor and indoor temperature.

In other words, if we have a heatwave in West Sussex, your air conditioning will struggle to cool you down, as it is not designed to keep your home at or below 20oC when it is 35oC outside.

If it is an average July summers day in Crawley (23oC) and your air conditioning still can't keep up, you may have a problem with the refrigerant charge or a frozen evaporator coil. If you see icing on your outdoor unit, shut it off and call Custom Heating & Cooling.

Setting your Air Conditioning lower than 21oC in cooling mode is normally regarded as too cold and is generally a waste of electricity in trying to cool the room this cold, likewise trying to heat a room to higher than 24oC is generally a waste of electricity, 

In my experience, I've found on average that most people set their home thermostat to approx 22oC

I also recommend that you never set the Air Conditioning to the lowest cooling setting (generally 18oC) this is far too cold for a home or office environment and likewise you should never set the temperature to the highest heating setting (generally 30oC) both of these simply waste electricity.

Covering Horsham District

Horsham, Southwater, Broadbridge Heath, Slinfold, Billingshurst, Steyning, Storrington, Ashington, Rudgwick, Cowfold, Pulborough, Warnham, Henfield, Bramber, Upper Beeding, Partridge Green, Rusper & Faygate.