Air Conditioner Not Working?
Summer is coming! As the warmer weather begins to set in, many of us in Utah County are turning on our air conditioners, ready to feel the nice air cool down our homes. But when the air isn’t coming out cold – you know there’s a problem!
We get many calls from our clients in the summer saying that they can hear their outside unit running, and air is flowing, just not very much. Sometimes the air is even warm. Many people think that this warm air flow means that their unit is low on refrigerant, and that it needs to be “topped off.” Most of the time they are mistaken. That is only one of many reasons why the air coming from your vents is not cold.
Often, the biggest culprit is a dirty air filter. That’s right, 75% of the time, a simple filter change can fix the problem. A dirty air filter can restrict the airflow and cause even more problems. The best way to know if your filter is clean, is to hold it up to the light and see if you can see the light through the filter. If not, it’s time to replace it.
Also check and make sure that all of your vents are open. Sometimes home owners will shut supply vents to route the air differently in their home. Other times they block the return air vents with furniture. This is not good. Air conditioners need air to function, so make sure that no vents are blocked.
It is super easy to check filters and vents. When the air flow is blocked, it can possibly freeze the indoor air coil. This coil sits on top of your furnace. When the indoor coil is frozen, the refrigerant cannot move through it properly, thus the air flow does not cool off.
When this happens, the best solution is to change the settings on your thermostat. There will be a setting on your thermostat with options of “heat,” “cool,” and “off.” Change it from “cool” to “off,” and then set the fan from “auto” to the “on” position. This continual movement of air will help your coil to thaw so that it can start functioning properly again.
If the coil continues to freeze up, then it most likely is dirty and clogged. At that point, it’s best to have a certified technician come and clean the coil. Coils are very delicate and this process must be done carefully and thoroughly. Please thaw your coil before a technician comes to your home.
If you are certain that your filter is clean, and your vents are open, then it is possible that you are low on refrigerant. Call a certified technician so they can come and set up their gauges to measure the levels, and give an overall evaluation of the system to determine what is causing the problem.
We have fully trained and certified technicians at Western Heating & Air Conditioning that are ready to assist. Please call us at (801) 224-8899 to schedule an appointment, or visit www.WesternHeatingAir.com.
