Air Conditioning Repair in Grand Rapids Michigan
Before you call your local HVAC repair shop for a broken air conditioner there are a few things that you can check yourself. You may be able to avoid a service charge just by checking these items first. In this article I’ll discuss some of the things a home owner can check if their air conditioner isn’t working. Before you call for air conditioning repair in Grand Rapids Michigan.
Air Conditioning Repair in Grand Rapids Michigan
When your air conditioner is not working properly it can make for a very miserable time. During summer months when the temperature gets up and swear starts beading on your forehead while watching television, then you’ve likely got air conditioning problems. Sleeping in a hot house at night can be downright dreadful and if your air conditioner stop working in the evening hours you may not even get a service technician to check it before the next day anyway. There are some things you can do as a home owner before you call for air air conditioning repair in Grand Rapids Michigan however, and I’ll outline those things below.
Check the Filter of the Air Conditioner
As a technician I’ve seen some air conditioners with filters that needed changing badly. So badly in fact, that it stopped the unit from operating properly. If your air filter is completely stopped up and won’t allow air to flow properly through the filter the unit will likely start to ‘freeze up’ and ice will build over the coil stopping all air flow. Although the unit will continually run, it will not blow cool air through the home since the coil would be stopped with ice. Although you may have changed your filter ever month it’s important to check and make sure it’s clean and not obstructed. If you have a floor return on your air conditioner make sure no one has thrown a rug over the return as well which is a common problem.
If your air filter is completely stopped up then you’ll need to replace the filter. Your local Wal-Mart or other home goods store will likely have the filter. If the unit was completely stopped up and frozen over then you may need to turn the unit off so that it can defrost. After a few hours replace the filter with a new one and turn the unit back on.
Check the Power to the Air Conditioner
Sometimes an air conditioner may throw breakers that give it power. There are different reasons why it will trip a breaker and it could mean there are other problems. If your air conditioner isn’t running at all then the circuit breaker may be tripped. This may happen after storms or because of a power surge or brownout. You can attempt to reset the circuit breaker to provide power to the air conditioner again. If the circuit breaker trips as soon as you reset it there may be other problems and you’ll need to call for air conditioning repair in Grand Rapids Michigan rather than continually trying to reset the breaker.
Don’t Forget to Check the Thermostat
If you’ve got kids in your home then you know to sometimes expect things like the thermostat on your air conditioner to get a bit out of whack. Check your thermostat to see if it’s set correctly. You may also need to push the thermostat all the way up, then back down, then back to the spot that you want. Sometimes dust can build up in the thermostat and cause connection failures. Pushing the temperature up and down like this will usually remove the dust and the unit will start again. However, some unit will not start immediately and will take a few minutes to come on. So after you move the thermostat give it a few minutes before you check the unit.
These are just some of the things that you can check on your air conditioner if it’s not working properly. Although most of these items can be done by the home owner I’d like to stress that if you’re uncomfortable with any of these procedures then do not do them. Call for air conditioning repair in Grand Rapids Michigan instead.
