Whenever an appliance stops working in your house, it’s not a highlight of the day. But there is a big difference in finding out the microwave won’t turn on and discovering the air conditioning system isn’t cooling the house—especially during a hot late summer day!
A failed AC is something you’ll want remedied as soon as possible. In many cases, this requires calling for air conditioning repair in Davison, MI from professionals like the technicians at First Choice. But an AC that won’t turn on or won’t provide cooling may not be an emergency repair problem. Before you call for a technician, make several basic checks to see if a simple explanation is behind the failure to cool.
Check on the power to the house
This sounds so basic as to be almost absurd. But when a power outage occurs in the middle of the day, you may not notice it at first unless you’re sitting at a computer or some other powered device or you have lights turned on in the rooms. The AC shutting off might be the first indication you get of the outage. Check other electronic equipment to see if you have a house-wide power loss.
Examine the thermostat settings
People often overlook this simple step, but a mis-set thermostat often is the cause of an air conditioner refusing to turn on the compressor or the fans. Small children may have played around with the thermostat buttons or dials (because, hey, buttons!) or someone else in the house might have made alterations to the programming. Check to see if the thermostat is responsive.
Look for tripped circuit breakers
Because of the large amount of electrical power necessary to run the blower fan motor and the compressor motor, an air conditioning system may occasionally overload the circuit and cause a breaker in the electrical panel to trip. Open the panel and see if there is a tripped breaker. (This is when having the breakers clearly labeled is a huge help.) Reset the breaker and try the AC again. If the problem persists, the AC may have an electrical malfunction that requires professional service.
See if the air filter is clogged
The air filter on the HVAC cabinet protects the interior of the air conditioner from damage due to dust and debris drawn through the return air ducts. After one to three months in place, the filter will become heavily congested and begin blocking airflow into the AC. This can mean air that isn’t cooled down, or it could be the source of the tripped breaker since it places strain on the blower motor. Change the filter for a clean one if it’s clogged, and keep up with these routine changes every one to three months afterwards.
Once you’ve taken these steps to find possible easy answers to why the AC failed, pick up the phone and call our repair technicians. Any further attempt to diagnose or fix the air conditioner must be left to professionals—at this point, it’s beyond any amateur or DIY repairs.
Turn to First Choice Heating & Cooling for fast AC repair service. If your home had a voice … it would call First Choice!