A Beginner's Guide to Residential Air Conditioning Troubleshooting

While it may be necessary to bring in a professional HVAC specialist to install and/or repair your air conditioning unit, there are some areas of residential air conditioning troubleshooting that you may be able to handle on your own. In this article you will learn the basics of evaluating and dealing with minor air conditioning issues. Let's first review the steps involved in troubleshooting a residential cooling system.

If you determine that your air conditioner does not seem to be working properly, your first step is to take a look at your thermostat. The switch should be set to the cool setting, and the preferred temperature should always be set lower than the temperature in the room. If you are using a programmable thermostat, make sure you have working batteries installed. Then, turn the switch to the auto setting to ensure the blower is functioning. If you hear the unit come on, then the power is fine. If nothing happens, the power may not be connected, a control might be burned out, or a fuse could be blown.

After you've checked the power, made sure the selector switch is set to cool and the fan switch is set to auto, set the thermostat to far below the temperature in the room to prompt it to come on. You will want to check and make sure that the condenser comes on in addition to the blower. If it does not, check your circuit breaker. If your breaker is fully functional, take a look at the condenser. If your condenser features a large button, press it in as far as you can. This will cause the unit to reset itself.

If you find that both the blower and condenser are running but the system is not cooling properly, place your hand on the largest copper line coming from the condenser. If the line is warm, you've got a cooling fluid issue. If the line is iced over, you may have a flow problem. For a frozen line, turning the unit off and allowing it to thaw out totally might solve the problem. If you have performed residential air conditioning troubleshooting and are unable to remedy the problem, call an HVAC expert and have them do the repairs.

 



Air Conditioning News:
Carrier's Collierville Operation Named a Top North American Plant by IndustryWeek - MarketWatch (press release)

Carrier's Collierville Operation Named a Top North American Plant by IndustryWeek
MarketWatch (press release)
30, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Carrier's Collierville residential air conditioner and heat pump operation has been named one of IndustryWeek's top 10 Best Plants in North America. This is the fourth consecutive year a Carrier facility has been .

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Police See More A/C Unit Thefts - KETV Omaha

Police See More A/C Unit Thefts
KETV Omaha
Four air conditioning units were stolen. Now, police said they're seeing an increase in the thefts over the past three months. "Right now, it appears they are being scrapped for metal copper. That does seem to be a motivating factor right now," said .

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Air conditioning unit, copper wire stolen from church
An air conditioning unit and some copper wiring were stolen from New Haven United Methodist Church at 26616 Highway 365 South sometime between last Sunday and Friday morning, according to a report from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office...


Balt. Co. Parents Offer To Pay For School's Air Conditioning; Officials Say No - CBS Local

CBS Local
Balt. Co. Parents Offer To Pay For School's Air Conditioning; Officials Say No
CBS Local
They offered to pay for air conditioning at their child's school. Gigi Barnett reports one state lawmaker is backing parents. EURWe're tired of saying pretty please. We're now going to dynamite the bureaucracy out of the way,EUR said State Comptroller .

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Air conditioning company owner loses license after complaints - TCPalm

Air conditioning company owner loses license after complaints
TCPalm
When an air conditioner fails, residents might have some questions about how to find the best company. Here are some tips from Stuart-based Airflow AC and Heating owner Tracy Valentino: EUR Get quotes from three different businesses as opposed to relying .

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Air Conditioning Break-Ins in Manhattan
The NYPD is warning residents in Midtown West in Manhattan to be on the look out for a burglar who is breaking into apartments by pushing in air conditioning units or simply opening unlocked windows...


Significant damage caused to air conditioning units in Douglas - isleofman.com

isleofman.com
Significant damage caused to air conditioning units in Douglas
isleofman.com
POLICE are investigating after the air conditioning units of a business in Douglas were deliberately damaged. The units, located to the rear of number 10 Finch Road, were damaged between 7pm on Friday, January 20 and sometime on Saturday, January 21.

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HVAC EUR What's All Of It About? - Lowell.com News

HVAC EUR What's All Of It About?
Lowell.com News
HVAC is definitely an acronym that represents the phrases heating, ventilation and air conditioning. An HVAC system is one from the comforts which are taken with no consideration till it stops working correctly. Frequently unnoticed, these methods .
Hardy Plumbing & Heating27east.com

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Guam Airport overhauling air conditioning - KUAM.com

Guam Airport overhauling air conditioning
KUAM.com
The facility has been experiencing problems with its air conditioning system, and is in the process of doing an overhaul of the system. GIAA executive manager Mary Torres says the airport fast tracked procurement of three new air handling units to cool .

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HOUK Air Conditioning, Inc. Earns Coveted Angie's List Super Service Award . - PR Web (press release)

HOUK Air Conditioning, Inc. Earns Coveted Angie's List Super Service Award .
PR Web (press release)
EURThe Houk Air Conditioning family can think of no better way to celebrate our 50th anniversary than earning this recognition from our customers with this prestigious award! EUR EUROnly a fraction of the businesses rated on Angie's List can claim the .

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Third suspect arrested in Hernando air-conditioning thefts
By John Woodrow Cox, Times Staff Writer Friday, January 27, 2012 SPRING HILL EUR Hernando County authorities have arrested a third suspect in connection with a rash of air-conditioning thefts that plagued the county earlier this month. Shane Edward Winn, 24, was charged Thursday with more than a dozen crimes. His bail was set at $119,000. Over several weeks, someone had broken into dozens of air ...


Air conditioning company owner loses license after complaints
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers investigated Bayside Cooling and company owner Michael P. Hubbard after numerous calls...


LG eyes bigger share in overseas air conditioning market
Seoul (The Korea Herald/ANN) - LG Electronics featured its new set of air conditioners at a three-day international expo in Chicago as it is eying a bigger market share overseas...


Churches targets of air conditioner thefts
Three churches and an office building recently were targeted in a rash of air conditioning unit thefts in Anderson Township...


Air conditioning units removed from Burton doctor's office
The units, valued at $3,000, were taken after someone cuts power lines and removed them from their bases. An officer noticed vehicle tracks in the snow, leading up to the air conditioning units...


National Air Conditioning and Refrigeration show in March 2012 : six big-name . - Plumbing Park (press release)

National Air Conditioning and Refrigeration show in March 2012 : six big-name .
Plumbing Park (press release)
The exhibition is the only national showcase for new technology, knowledge transfer and networking for industry and those whose businesses rely on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. It will showcase the latest products and services from over .

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