DIY: Simple AC Check Summer is on its way out now, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be several hot days in the near future to keep you busy with. If your AC goes out at any time during this time, consider looking at it yourself first to see if it’s something simple you can fix before calling an air conditioning repair man in Salt Lake City. An air conditioning repair service in Salt Lake City will cost you a lot more to fix something small then you would have to if you looked at it yourself. The following is a brief step-by-step instruction list that can help you safely check your AC yourself.
Diagnosis First things first, you need to diagnose what the problem is. An AC unit is fairly complex. It cools the air, and then blows it throughout the home. There are several parts of this process that could have gone wrong. Start by determining if the fan is working or not. You can do this by simply turning on the AC. If warmer air is coming through strong (like any other time your AC was on), then you know that your fan is still working fine. The problem can be categorized to a cooling problem. If hardly any air is coming out, but it feels cool, then it’s a fan problem. If it’s the fan, you’re going to want to check the belt for excessive slack, damage, or breakage. You may have to replace this if there is anything of that nature hurting it. Consider cleaning it though as well and try it again. If you’re still not getting anything it will likely need the help of a professional of air conditioning repair in Salt Lake City. If the fan is working though and it’s simply not cooling, then there’s probably difficulty in the condenser (outdoor unit)/air handler (indoor).
Condenser and Beyond A condenser removes heat from the air, cooling it down. Start by making sure it’s plugged in. Next, check the circuit breakers and fuses to make sure they’re in the proper place and working properly. Circuits will sometimes get over loaded and flip. Finally, check to make sure the thermostat is properly programmed. Sometimes it’s as simple as a thermostat issue. The last thing you’ll want to check is the coils and filter. If caked with dust or frozen, the unit won’t work right. Clean the filter and allow the ice to melt before restarting. This can make all the difference in fixing the AC. Anything beyond this simple check is getting into specific mechanics that you for sure don’t want to do yourself, unless you happen to have a degree in air conditioning repair from Salt Lake City. Assuming that you don’t though, it’s best to call someone who does to try to get this sorted out, especially if it’s something as simple as a thermostat to be replaced. Your thermostat controls your heater as well and you’ll need that soon too. The sooner you fix the AC; the better off the machinery will be in the future too. Photo Credit: Bonnie Natko, Joshua Gardner, US Air Force