Air Conditioner Troubleshooting

When the weather heats up in Phoenix, AZ, and surrounding metro cities, you look forward to getting home where you can relax, unwind, and cool off. The only thing worse than walking into your sanctuary and experiencing hot, stale air, is tossing, turning, and sweating all night when the AC quits working. The first thing you should know is that you don’t have to worry; Day & Night is here to get your HVAC working again quickly. The second is that you can check a few things when air conditioning problem solving to try and narrow down the culprit.

What Are Common AC Issues?

Phoenix, AZ, can get very hot in the summer, meaning your HVAC works hard during those months to keep your home or office comfortable. There are many reasons why your AC quit working. Some of the most commonly found issues when air conditioner troubleshooting includes the following.

Your AC Won’t Turn On

When the interior heats up, you naturally think it’s time to turn on the air conditioning. If, instead of feeling the relief of cool air blowing through the room, you get a feeling of dread when nothing happens, it’s time to call the experienced HVAC technicians at Day & Night. When your AC doesn’t turn on, it usually signals a lack of power. It could be caused by a tripped circuit breaker, a blown fuse, loose wires, or a malfunctioning thermostat.

Problems With the Thermostat

You can think of your thermostat as a gatekeeper for your cool air. It signals to the HVAC that the temperature is too hot or too cool, allowing it to turn on or off in response. If the thermostat is not working correctly, it is time to call your friends at Day & Night. We’ll get down to the source of the problem and install a new thermostat if necessary. 

Low Refrigerant Levels

If your home or office is not staying cool, you may have low refrigerant levels. The refrigerant is what absorbs the heat indoors before being blown outside. When the levels of refrigerant are low, the indoor temperature rises. Low refrigerant levels could signal a refrigerant leak, which could be a serious problem. 

Condenser Issues

The condenser coil is what discharges the heat from inside the building to the outside. However, since it is part of the outside unit, it is subject to dirt, dust, soot, and a variety of other contaminants and pollutants. If your condenser coil is dirty, your air conditioner won’t work efficiently or effectively. When your condenser coils are clogged with dirt, call your HVAC specialists at Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing. 

Frozen Evaporator Coil

Low airflow can cause ice to form on the evaporator coil that contains the refrigerant. Causes of low airflow can include blocked air returns, a clogged air filter, a dirty blower, or a malfunctioning blower fan. If this occurs, your air conditioner may run, but it will not cool until the ice melts. However, simply allowing the ice to melt doesn’t fix the underlying problem. That’s why you need a professional to assess, diagnose, and fix the problem, so you don’t have to worry about it recurring. 

Blocked Air Ducts

If you’ve ever felt like you needed a sweater in one room while you sweat in another, you may have experienced blocked or damaged air ducts. Though your HVAC disperses the cool air, it depends upon the ductwork to deliver it throughout the building. If something happens to damage the ductwork, it could divert the cool air and prevent it from being directed into the room. 

Blocked air ducts could be due to a variety of reasons, from a toy falling into an under-floor duct to rodents building nests in the ductwork. Construction projects can also be an inadvertent cause of ductwork damage. If your system seems to be cooling some rooms and not cooling others, call the team at Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing to perform a duct inspection today. 

Clogged Drain Pan

Another function of your air conditioner is removing moisture from the air. As it condenses, it runs through the drain line into a pan, where it gets funneled into a drain. Just like the drains on your sink can get clogged, the drain pan can get stopped up, which backs the condensate up. When it is not allowed to drain properly, it can overflow, damaging your walls and ceilings and, potentially, your HVAC system. If you see damp spots on your walls or ceilings and your AC doesn’t seem to be cooling, you likely have a clogged drain pan.

Noisy Fan

Your HVAC system has one fan that gets the cooled air from the evaporator coil into the ductwork, and another that blows the heat from inside to outside called a condenser coil fan. If you hear rattling, squeaking, banging, or clanking, it could be coming from one of your fans. These sounds could be caused by dirty fans, worn belts, or worn-out bearings. These sounds are a signal to call your trusted technicians at Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing immediately before it leads to more significant problems. 

Open Windows or Doors

Leaving the doors or windows open on a temperate day that later heats up can cause your AC to work overtime. Having the warm air constantly flowing into the home is undoing all your system’s work to keep your home cool. If you have kids or pets that are constantly in and out of your house while the AC is on, make sure they are closing the door firmly behind them, or you are likely to have a warm evening while your system tries to play catch up. Keeping the doors and windows closed ensures your system can work as designed. 

Air Conditioner Troubleshooting

While we love seeing all our friends and neighbors in Phoenix, AZ, and surrounding metro cities, we hate to see your family inconvenienced with an AC emergency. We have a few helpful hints that can help ensure we see you on happier terms, such as when we come out to do your annual air conditioning maintenance. Taking some of these preventive steps can keep your system working efficiently and prevent damage:

    • Clear weeds, brush, and debris from around your outside unit.
    • Install a programmable thermostat.
    • Replace your air filters at least monthly.
    • Schedule annual routine maintenance checks.

Proper maintenance is the best way to prevent problems that can, at a minimum, prevent your system from working efficiently and, at worst, damage your air conditioning system until it no longer works. The best way to intercept minor issues before they become big problems is with an annual maintenance plan. Call us at 602-956-9404 to schedule your system maintenance today.

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