Go Greener Tips

Some main principles for Air Conditioner troubleshooting. For both central house Air Conditioning or window air conditioners, the essential thing to check is whether the unit is getting proper power. If the unit uses 220 volt power be sure that the appropriate voltage is coming to the unit. Same for 110 volt units. A voltage meter can be used to assure that the voltage is correct.

For window air conditioning units the voltage can also be tested before and after the thermostat. If voltage is being supplied to the thermostat but not from it then the thermostat possibly needs replaced . This is a fairly common trouble . Another place to test is the fan motor voltage. The fan on window air conditioners goes both the interior blower and the condenser fan. If that motor fails than the compressor may run for a small period of time , but will overheat and shut off. Continued operation like this will result in compressor failure. This motor can be economically replaced for bigger window air conditioners, but for smaller ones the price of replacement will be more expensive than a new unit.

Central Air Conditioners for the home are more complex and there are a great number of things that can go wrong . As with the window air conditioner the thermostat can also be a problem . The central air conditioner thermostat will only have 24 volts going to it. So don’t look for high voltage there. Some units the voltage will be getting from the outer unit and others the voltage will be supplied by the indoor air handler or furnace. The majority house central air conditioning will be supplied by the interior air handler or the furnace. If the air conditioner is for cooling only the unit will usually have only two wires going to the condenser unit. Be sure that you have 24 volts across those wires.

The next thing to pay attention to will be the interior blower. If your thermostat is used for cooling then the indoor blower should be working . If there is no air moving across the interior cooling coil then you will soon have a big block of ice formed on the coil. This can happen for a few reasons. The indoor blower is not operating , the air flow is restricted and not allowing air to move across the coil. A clogged air filter would also do this. Or the outer condenser unit has lost the charge of refrigerant.

Finally and worst of all is when you have an entire compressor damage . Usually when this occurs the compressor will “lock up” or cannot turn when power is supplied to it. Overheating or lack of lubrication are often the main reasons of compressor failure . Overheating can be caused by the outer coil around the compressor being clogged with dust , leaves, grass, or just plain old grime. The outdoor coil should be washed out each year with a good coil cleaner and water. This will assist prevent compressor failure and help maintain the unit running at peak efficacy . Changing an air conditioner compressor is a work that requires specialized equipment and needs to be done by a professional with the proper refrigeration license.

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