A/C Troubles? 5 Things To Do Before You Call In An Expert

Posted on: 21 July 2015

If you're having some trouble with keeping your home cool this summer, you may benefit from knowing a few things that you can check in your home yourself. No professional is needed to check these five things, but you may still need to call in an expert once the problem has been determined or if you cannot detect the exact issue: 

1. Make Sure to Remove Debris from the A/C Condenser. 

In order for your home to be cooled sufficiently by your air conditioner unit, it is important that the outside unit, which houses the condenser, needs to receive adequate air flow. Without air flowing freely around the outside unit, it may cause the condenser to heat up and be unable to properly cool the home.

2. Check Your Thermostat.

Keep an eye on your thermostat or, more specifically, the temperature that it is set at when the air conditioner is triggered. Most thermostats contain a heat anticipator. Depending on how it is set, it could cause your home to never reach the desired temperature, to exceed the temperature or to take excessively longer to get there. 

3. Take the Time to Clear the Condensation Drain.

Your air conditioner works to eliminate moisture in the air. This moisture is accumulated in the condensation pan that is located just beneath the indoor A/C unit. There is a drain in this pan that allows the accumulated moisture to flow outside. If this drain is clogged or plugged, the water will build and build. With this presence of excessive moisture, the inside of the home may suffer humidity issues.

4. Check Your Vents, Registers and Filters.

If you notice a lot of accumulated dirt and dust on the register vents throughout the home, then you need to clean them. This buildup of dust can block proper airflow, which can keep your home from cooling adequately. In addition, you need to check your unit's air filter. It is recommended that air filters be changed every three months, but yours may need changing more frequently if it is extremely dirty. A dirty air filter will restrict airflow and not enable the unit to cool the home.

5. Make Sure Your A/C Unit Is the Appropriate Size.

There are essentially two basic signs that your air conditioner is not sized adequately for your home. If your unit is too small for your home, it will constantly run without reaching a comfortable temperature in the home. If your unit is too large, however, it will constantly cycle on and off. In either instance, your home won't be cool and it will run up your energy costs.

You can perform all of the aforementioned tasks on your own to try and troubleshoot your air conditioner problem. If you think there is a problem with your cooling system, it is imperative that you contact an HVAC expert (such as one from JV Systems Air Conditioning And Heating of Tampa Bay Inc) as soon as possible.

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