Troubleshooting Common Central Air Conditioning Problems

Tips to try before calling for service

You may not think of yourself as particularly handy or as the go to person for handling repairs around your New York or New Jersey home. But even if that is the case, there are still some relatively easy things you can do to troubleshoot some common central air conditioning problems that you may run into.

Common central air conditioning problems

While each home and central air conditioning system is, of course, different there are some common problems that homeowners may encounter when it comes to their AC. These common problems include:

1. Your AC system blowing warm air instead of cool air
2. A noticeable difference in terms of how efficiently your air conditioning system is working
3. Your AC suddenly not working at all

So what does a homeowner do when one of these issues arise?

When you feel warm instead of cool air

We all know that a central air conditioning system is supposed to cool your home instead of warm your home. But if you find that the opposite is happening you should:

• Check that your thermostat is set to either ‘AC’, ‘cool’ or ‘fan’. You also want to make sure it is set to at least 5 degrees below the current room temperature.
• Go to all your home’s vents and make sure they are open and not being blocked by any curtains, furniture or debris.
• Check that all the AC related power switches are in the on position.
• Make sure the outdoor condenser unit is running. If the condenser is not running, make sure its power switch is set to on, check the circuit breaker and, after turning off the power, clean off any debris from inside the condenser.
• If they are dirty, clean your air filters. If cleaning your filters doesn’t promote the flow of cool air, you may need to replace them entirely.

When your AC doesn’t seem to be working as efficiently as it should

If you suddenly find that your central air conditioning system isn’t working quite as well as it used to you can try:

• Adding refrigerant, which should be done by a trained technician.
• Cleaning and, if necessary, replacing your air filters.
• Upgrading to an air-conditioning system that matches your cooling load. There is a good chance you will need to do this if you’ve recently added an addition to your home. Alternatively, if your AC unit is too large for your cooling load it will deteriorate quickly since the consistent on/off cycling will cause wear and tear to the compressor and fan controls.
• Minimizing the work your central air conditioning system has to perform by keeping all your windows and doors closed.
• Scheduling professional maintenance. Remember – air conditioners that aren’t properly maintained lose about 5% to 10% of their efficiency every cooling season!

When your AC doesn’t work at all

Don’t immediately panic if your central air conditioning suddenly doesn’t work at all. First you should:

• Double check that your thermostat is in the right setting (either ‘AC’, ‘cool’ or ‘fan”).
• Check to see if one of your circuit breakers has tripped. If you notice a tripped circuit, reset it and see if that gets your AC working.
• Check the power switches on both your air conditioner’s outdoor condenser and indoor air handler to see that they are on.

Keep cool with Rucci Oil Company

When all the above troubleshooting tips fail, the team at Rucci Oil is who you should call. We handle AC installations, repairs and maintenance all throughout Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn and in certain parts of New Jersey.

Contact us to start receiving reliable AC services today!