Before You Call for an A/C Repair, Try These Troubleshooting Tips

Your  air conditioner does its best to keep you cool and comfortable through the muggy Maryland summer – until one morning it can’t answer the bell and you’re left with a cooling system that either blows hot air or won’t run at all.

Before you contact us for service, it pays to do a little troubleshooting – the problem could be one you can solve yourself without paying for a service call. Here’s a guide for what to do if your air conditioner isn’t working the way it should:

If your cooling system won’t run:

  1. Make sure your thermostat setting is:
    • Set for “air conditioning”, “cool,” or “fan” – not “on” or “heat” (if a thermostat is set for “on,” your blower will continue to run even when cool air is not being produced).
    • Set to at least 5 degrees below the current room temperature.
  2. Check circuit breakers or fuses.
    • Circuit breakers and fuses are designed to shut off an overloaded circuit automatically to prevent a fire; this can happen with your air conditioner’s circuit. Check to see if the circuit has been tripped or the fuse has been blown.
  3. Check all power switches.
    • Check the power switch next to the outdoor (condenser) unit.
    • Check the power switch for the indoor (evaporator/blower) unit.

If none of these measures works, contact us for service.

If your cooling system works but blows warm air:

  1. Check your thermostat settings (see #1 above).
  2. Clear away furniture, rugs , and other airflow constricting obstructions from in front of vents.
  3. Check all power switches.
  4. Check the condenser to see if it’s running. If it isn’t:
    • Check the power switch (see above).
    • Check the condenser’s circuit breaker (see above).
    • Check for debris inside the condenser (TURN OFF THE POWER FIRST!).
  5. Check the indoor unit.
    1. Make sure the power switches are on.
    2. Check your air filters; if they’re clogged, clean or replace them and try again.

If none of these measures works, contact us for service.

Prevent unexpected A/C breakdowns this summer with a Carroll Service Plan, which includes an annual tune-up! Contact us to sign up today.

For everything you need in home heating, trust the pros at Carroll Home Services – keeping Maryland homes warm for more than a century! Contact us to get started today!