HVAC units have become almost a necessity in our lives, we just cannot live without them. Whatever the seasons might be, may it be winters or the summers, we all need to be comfortable in our respective environments.
Let us first discuss the importance of air conditioners, these units play the most critical role in your survival in summers. Imagine unbearable heat, humidity levels off the charts and your air conditioner isn’t working, you really wouldn’t want yourself in that situation.
Before summers start, you need to make sure that your air conditioner is in optimal working condition and if it isn’t, for example if the air conditioner isn’t blowing cold air then you need to check the following aspects.
We would be providing you with an extensive DIY checklist, if the problem occurs, use our guide to identify the details.
There Could Be Power Issues Going On
We know that this point is rhetorical but there are still some technicalities revolved around here. You need to check some things here, firstly check if the power cords of the unit are properly plugged in. Sometimes due to some disturbances the power cords just detach or become unstable, you need to make sure that they are properly plugged.
Although, if the power cords are perfectly fine, then the culprit behind the situation could be the electrical panel. Seeing the functions of air conditioners, it is no doubt that these units require extensive power, and if they aren’t getting the required amount they won’t function properly.
There could also be certain situations that your unit would have gone through a massive power surge, when this happens the unit could have been overloaded with power resulting in a fuse breakout or circuits being fried. Be sure to make sure that isn’t the case here, it should also be known that some of these units have overload switches which manage the power surges, be sure to keep an eye out for them as well.
Thermostat Not Working Properly
Thermostats and air conditioners are complimentary goods, they cannot function without each other. If you seem to notice that there are no power issues with your unit, it would be the right time to check out the thermostats.
Thermostats are units installed right outside your households which manage the temperature of your internal environment. They are linked directly with your HVAC units and work in synchronization. Thermostats make sure that the temperatures inside your house are according to the ones outside. For example, if it’s really hot outside, it should be cold inside and vice versa.
If your air conditioner isn’t blowing out cold air then it could be an indication that your thermostats aren’t properly linked. When this situation occurs, go outside and the turn the degrees on your thermostat down, if that doesn’t particularly help then get it to the lowest degree. This will make the air conditioner trip, make it force-start, it could reboot your unit properly if done right.
Check Out The Filters
HVAC units have filters inside them which prevents the units from catching up dust and other foreign particles. Now it is natural that when the filters get clogged, the performance of the air conditioners would be affected. That’s why some of the units have this built in mechanism inside them which automatically shuts them down when the air filters are polluted. This makes sure that the motor and other internal components of the unit aren’t compromised.
When this happens, the clogging of the filters almost makes it impossible to pump out cold air. Every now and then, be sure to check the air filters of your unit, clean them if the need arises and your unit would be remain in good working condition.
Ice Buildup Could Be The Problem
All the air conditioners have refrigerants inside of them, they are essential for keeping the units in working order and are the main reason behind cold air. If the refrigerants inside the units are not working properly then there would an ice buildup inside them. This would prevent the units from blowing out cold air because it interrupts the coils from properly performing their job.
When you notice that this is the problem, it would be best to clean the coils and the filters yourself. If you want to melt that ice down first, it would be advisable to keep the air conditioner running but in fan mode. The hot air would melt down any ice in its path. If that doesn’t seem to work then it would be advisable to check the condition of your refrigerant, maybe they would have been depleted or their temperatures would be low.
Keeping The Compressors Maintained
When the summers are over, we often cover our air conditioners and seal them off for next year. During this time period there is no maintenance or looking after them, what happens in this scenario is this that the compressors become extremely dirty. Foreign particles like pebbles, dirt and leaves pollute the internal components which make their functions incapacitated.
Be sure to give your units a proper maintenance at least twice an year, this would make sure that your units are well protected and would be performing at optimal levels. For this job, you need to make sure that professional services are hired, because even a little tinkering could result in huge losses.
Drain Problems Could Persist
Air conditioners absorb the moisture from your internal environments, and that is then drained out of the house via a drainage pipe. That pipe also makes sure that your house doesn’t get flowed in by water and also protects the HVAC units. Although, that being said these pipes can also get polluted from time to time. There could be fungus or algae stuck in them, when this problem happens, make sure that you fix them by cleaning out the pipe. A normal bleach component would be able to do the job and you wouldn’t need to call in the professionals.
Refrigerant Levels Could Be Low
Air conditioners are able to blow out cold air because of their refrigerants, they make sure that the hot air absorbed from the external environments are then converted to cold air. Refrigerants don’t lose power over the years although they could very well have leaking issues. When they are damaged or just very old, these components would ultimately stop working.
At times like this, it is advisable to replace your refrigerant if not the whole unit if they are very old. Sometimes even old technology just fails by the matter of time, although do consult your HVAC contractors.
Conclusion
Following were the ways you could check if your air conditioner is blowing out cold air or not, some of them are easy to fix whereas some would definitely require technical expertise. Always have full knowledge of the problem before trying to fixing it yourself or calling in the professionals, this would save you time and money.
