Home Air Conditioning Troubleshooting Tips

by York International

Notice a strange noise when your home’s HVAC system turns on, or does it sometimes not turn on at all? Often all it takes to make things right is a simple fix. To keep your home comfort system running at peak performance, walk through the following air conditioning troubleshooting steps to diagnose and address the most common HVAC system issues.

1. Is your thermostat ready? Is your thermostat set in the cool position? If so, is your outdoor air conditioning or heat pump running? Is everything on? 4. Is your outdoor coil blocked? Cleaning the outdoor coils periodically helps. Dirt, grass and other airborne debris can accumulate between the fins, clogging the coil. A dirty coil can lead to reduced energy efficiency, lack of cool air from the registers, or in extreme cases, complete system shutdown or damage to the compressor from overuse. Use a brush/vacuum cleaner attachment or rinse gently with a hose. Be careful when cleaning the coils as the coil fins can be easily damaged.

2. Did the circuit breakers trip to the OFF position? Is the outdoor disconnect switch on your outdoor unit in the ON position? The disconnect switch is usually a small metal grey box mounted on a wall near the outdoor unit. Is the blower motor in your furnace or air handler running when your thermostat is activated? Make sure the furnace switch is in the ON position. Is there proper airflow?

3. Have you changed your filter? A blocked filter can cause your unit to shut down due to lack of proper airflow. Are the air registers (supply or return ducts) plugged?