There are probably few worse sounds on a hot, muggy day than the sound of silence coming from your home or office air conditioning unit. When the comforting sound of the compressor falling silent or the fan shutting off invades your space the first thing most people will do is call an air conditioning repair expert. While this first instinct may be helpful to many, it is not always necessary and by checking a few things on your own could possibly have your unit quickly humming again.
The first thing you can do before calling for air conditioning repair is look to insure the plug has not been accidentally pulled from the outlet. If it is still plugged in, turn the unit off and then back on and if nothing happens, turn it off and leave it off while you check the breaker switch or fuse.
Even if the breaker appears to be turned on, move it to the off position and then turn it back on. If the building is equipped with a fuse, remove it completely to check if it is burned out. The cost having an air conditioning repair company change the fuse or flip a breaker can be relatively high for the work performed.
Unit Runs But Fails To Offer Cold Air
If a cold front has recently moved through with temperatures of 60 degrees or below, visually check the coils. These are usually visible through vent slots on the outside of the unit. During colder weather with the air conditioning running, it is not unusual for ice to coat the coils, effectively shutting down the system. The only cure is to leave the unit turned off until the ice melts. If it is a hot day, it will not take long for this to happen and waiting perhaps an hour for the ice to melt is still cheaper than calling for air conditioning repair.
Many air conditioning units have a high-pressure cutoff switch that turns off power to the compressor in the event pressure in the system reaches a certain point. There is usually a reset button near the compressor s controls inside the unit, but on smaller air conditioners it may be hard to reach.
Once you have verified all the obvious possibilities for the unit to be failing and find nothing out of the ordinary, it may be time to call in the air conditioning repair expert. Although, consider the age of your unit and the cost of air conditioning repair and the cost of replacement before deciding to fix the old one. Many newer ones may be cheaper just to replace.