This summer was especially bad because most of us were on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. A lot of us just have to stay home and suffer the immense heat from the sun. That kind of heat is bearable only with proper air conditioning in a room. During this season, it would be very bad to have your AC break down. But, even though the season already passed, I think it is still worth talking about the most common air conditioning problems and how you can fix them.
It is also important to consider that we are in the middle of October which means that you called winter days are coming. Your air conditioning unit should always be ready to heat and chill the rooms of your home. But, if something breaks down, you are stuck waiting for a repairman to come and fix it.
However, just because there is a problem with your AC, does not mean that you have to call a professional to repair it. In fact, most of the problems that occur with these devices can usually be fixed quite easily. To help you with that, I decided to write about troubleshooting all those common air conditioning problems.
If you are unsure what exactly is wrong with your AC, you could use this article as guidance to repairing it. With trial and error, I am sure that you will succeed.
Table of Contents
1. It is not turning on
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One of the most common issues will I hear and see with air-conditioning units is that it simply does not turn on. For this problem, the repair could be dozens of different things, but usually, there is a very simple solution.
If you are having trouble turning on your AC, the first thing I would suggest is checking the connection to the power outlet. This can happen if you have been moving around some things recently and the plug has been pulled from the outlet. Check whether the AC is properly plugged in and then try to turn it on.
Most of the time, this is the solution, but if that does not work, you could try unplugging it and then plugging it again. This can also be affixed to the issue because the electronics of these kinds of devices can easily get confused when powering them off and powering them on. So, to reset its settings, just unplug it out of the wall and then put it back.
If this is not the solution to your issue, there is one more thing you can try. But something else into the outlet and see whether it works. Sometimes, outlets can break or circuit breakers could be tripped. Either one of those two.
Unfortunately, the solution will not always be that simple and you will probably have to call professional services for assistance as suggested by acservicesmaui.com. But, I would not worry too much because these days the services for AC repairs are quite affordable.
2. Outdoors AC unit is frozen
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This is something that happens to almost every AC unit in colder climates or during a called winter. If you use it for heating and if you run it 24 seven or for longer periods of time, it is normal for the outside unit to completely freeze.
If this has happened to you, do not worry, it is nothing serious. This usually happens just because the temperature has dropped by a lot outside. What you have to do is quite simple. Only remote control of the AC you will see a button that says defrost or at least has a sign which suggests that.
To prevent this from happening, I suggest checking out the outdoor unit more frequently. Once you see even small bits of ice icicles forming on the device, you should immediately put it on defrost. Do not wait for it to turn into an ice block.
3. Does not provide cool air in your home
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During the hot summer days, very often, you can notice that your air conditioning has stopped cooling the air inside of your room. It might still be pushing out cold air, but it may not be enough. This usually happens because the filters on the front of the indoor unit are clogged with dirt, dust, and anything else you can think of.
This is why I always remind everyone to clean the filters of their air conditioning at least once or twice in three months. Those filters are meant to be cleaned quite regularly, so leaving them for more than a few months is not recommended. The longer you leave those filters dirty, the lower the efficiency of your air conditioning.
With so much dust and dirt, the AC will have trouble pulling in enough air to cool it and then push it back into the room.
Clean the filters is easy. Below the AC’s plug, open up the panel, remove the filters, wash them with warm or cold water, let them dry, and put them back in. It is that easy. If your AC still doesn’t work properly after cleaning the filters, check out here for a few more things you could try to get your AC up and running again.
4. AC not accepting commands
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This is something that has happened to me dozens of times. I press the power on button, the AC is on, but it starts blowing hot air instead of cold. I look at the remote control and it says that it should be blowing cool air, but it simply does not. Why?
Believe it or not, this is usually a problem related to the remote control. The batteries are probably week which means you should replace them. Once replace them, I suggest resetting the setting of the air conditioning by unplugging it from the wall. Plug it back in and you should be done.
5. Noisy AC
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If you turn on your air conditioning and you notice loud noises like rattling, it might be a serious problem with the motor. To prevent any further damage, I suggest that you turn off the AC completely and then call for professional services. This is a problem that you cannot fix by yourself.
There are probably a few other common problems I could mention, but most of those can be fixed with these same methods I mentioned in this article.
