My Air Conditioner Won’t Cool my house? Here are Some Tips

It never fails that this time of year our phones ring about Air Conditioners not being able to cool the house down enough.  We have put together some quick trouble shooting items to help our customers and future customers.

Troubleshooting why your AC wont cool

As with any trouble shooting we also suggest that if you are uncomfortable with performing any of the suggestions we have, do not hesitate to contact us.  Safety has to be the most important part in troubleshooting.  Some things are best left for the professional.

Check Your Thermostat

This is pretty straight forward and not to overshadow the computer repair technician’s response….”Is it plugged in?”.  The thermostat controls the operation of the AC and Furnace and if the batteries are weak or dead there is little or no control of those units.  When on weak batteries, the thermostat can get confused between heating and cooling cycles.  If the batteries are new and everything seems functional, just take notice where it is located in the house.  If you happen to notice it is colder next to the thermostat than it is in the rest of the house, it is not giving you a true measure of the whole homes temperature.  You may need to move it or adjust the valves or dampers to allow the rest of the house to cool off first.  The valves and dampers are located in the basement  and look like the adjacent picture.  Just remember that living rooms with large windows will always heat up faster than a long dark hallway.

Check your Air Filter

We mention this in our spring and fall newsletters every year and have written about it in several blog posts, but homeowners still forget there is a filter on the furnace.  If your furnace has trouble passing air through a plugged filter, it definitely will have trouble passing frigid air through a plugged filter.  Not only is the filter there to filter out allergens but it also protects the inner workings of the furnace from dirt and grime.  As my father always told me…………”When in Doubt, Swap it out!”

Check Your Circuit Breakers

Not to overshadow the auto repair shop…..”But did you check the fuses”.  Believe it or not, the AC unit can trip a fuse without you knowing it.  The AC Unit and Furnace are likely on different breakers.  When the breaker is tripped it moves over slightly and should show an orange line, but depending on the angle that you are looking into the breaker box you may not even notice something is out of place.  There might also be breakers located on the exterior where the AC unit connects to the wall.  Double check to make sure they are not tripped also.  If tripping of the breakers is a common occurence, we would suggest calling our service department.

Conditioner Condenser

Check the exterior condenser for any debris or branches lodged into the unit.  The AC fan unit needs to operate and the coils need to be free from debris to operate correctly.  But before you go sticking your hands into the unit, shut off the power at the breaker box and exterior connection or both.  The unit may turn on un-expectantly and fan blades and fingers do not mix.

Summary

If after all this trouble shooting, your house hasn’t returned to the Antarctic climate that you are used to, it may be time for you to give us a call.  Keep in mind the average life expectancy of an AC unit is 15 to 20 years, and if you are near that age, you may need to call us for a replacement estimate at (608) 849-5410.  Need more info? We offer supplemental cooling products in way of mini splits.  Check out our Cooling Pages for more information.