If it’s the middle of summer and your air conditioning goes out, you’re not going to be a happy camper. However, if you’ve faced similar issues before, you probably have a good sense of what the problem is. Before having to call in a technician to fix your AC, it’s a good idea to try and understand a few key factors of air conditioning failure. If you don’t want to keep your house warm on the most stifling days of summer, you can’t afford to wait until the last minute to call your repairman for heating and air in baltimore md. It’s always best to know about the most common problems before that so you can look forward to an easy fix without spending any extra money or stressing out over a simple issue. If you can’t tell what’s wrong with your AC, here are a few jumping-off points that could help you address the problem.
A Frozen Coil
Your air conditioner is full of delicate parts that function in harmony to keep your space cool and dry. Sometimes, when something is wrong with the mechanism or even when your filter gets too dirty, the coil inside your machine that works to circulate cold air through and out the primary vent could end up working too hard to push cold air out. If the entryway is blocked, the coil ends up overworking itself and dealing with tons of trapped cold air. This leads to a frozen coil, which can then end up dripping and causing puddles below your machine. This isn’t ideal for a number of reasons. First off, you won’t be getting the benefit of cold air circulation. When the air gets trapped, your home stays muggy, and when your coil is frozen, it doesn’t do too much for airflow. If you’re experiencing a faulty or slow air conditioner, try removing the filter to check for dirt and dust buildup, then take a look into the machine and see if your coil is surrounded by a layer of frost. If it is, turn your machine off, clean your filter, and make sure there aren’t any other obvious blockages preventing the air from getting out.
A Faulty Thermostat
If you have central air, your A/C needs to be able to communicate with your home’s thermostat in order to work properly. However, over time, your thermostat might not be able to communicate easily with your AC, leading to mechanical failure. Either your thermostat is glitchy, or it’s simply not hooked up to your central air system properly. Either way, try turning off your thermostat and re-setting it. If you have a smart home thermostat that hooks up to an app like Nest, try checking your settings to make sure everything is actually being communicated. You can also check your thermostat by heading down into the basement or wherever your breakers and water heater live. Sometimes if your thermostat isn’t working properly, your electricity is to blame.
Damaged Blades or Parts
Your air conditioner’s coil isn’t the only problem you’re likely to deal with if you’ve had your machine for a long time. There are other important parts in your machine that can throw everything off if they’re not functioning as they should. First off, it’s important to take some time to listen to your machine to get a hint of what’s going on. If you hear loud clanging or rattling, you might be dealing with a loose screw or a part that’s fallen off. In any case, if you hear loud, dangerous clanging, you need to turn off your AC right away. Afterward, you can look under the hood and try to see what’s wrong. The broken part or issue might be obvious, or you might have to take a look at the blades of the fan to see if they’re damaged or have been scraping against the inside of a machine. Since this could potentially be dangerous, it’s always best to call a professional before attempting to fix a broken fan yourself.
A Blown Fuse
Sometimes, the simplest answer happens to be the true answer. If your machine simply stops working and refuses to turn back on, check your breaker to see if you’ve blown a fuse. Try turning your circuit breaker off and then on again to see if this corrects the problem. If not, check your thermostat to make sure everything is in communication. If your machine simply stops working and doesn’t sound like it’s been struggling to function before turning off, chances are it has something to with your electrical system or your thermostat.