Preparing for Summer

If your AC isn't keeping you cool, call an air conditioning repair technician to check the condenser and figure out what's going on. Your AC has several parts in the condenser and air handler that have to work properly for your AC to cool your house down. The repair technician may need to troubleshoot the issue and test various parts to find the source of the malfunction. Here are a few things that could be wrong with the equipment. 

1. The Thermostat Wire Is Bad

The contactor in your condenser is attached to the thermostat with a wire. When the thermostat triggers the AC to turn on, the contactor is activated, and it triggers the capacitor to start up the fan and condenser. A loose or bad thermostat wire can interrupt this process and cause your AC to not start.

An air conditioning repair technician can tighten the wire or replace it if it's damaged. This should get your AC working again if the only problem was the thermostat wire.

2. A Motor Capacitor Is Bad

A capacitor is a small part that acts like a battery in your AC. When a motor needs to start to get the condenser fan or blower going, the capacitor sends a boost of power to help the motor get started. When a capacitor goes bad, the condenser fan or blower in the air handler may not be able to start. This could even cause the motor to burn out as it struggles to get going. It's good to have a bad capacitor replaced right away so the motor won't burn out and have to be replaced too.

3. The Evaporator Coil Is Dirty

A dirty evaporator coil may not seem like a big deal, but when the coil is dirty, your AC may freeze over. The dirt also acts as insulation that inhibits the performance of the refrigerant in the coil. The refrigerant won't be able to cool your house as well, so your AC might run longer and drive up your power bill until the problem is fixed. An air conditioning repair technician can help this problem by scrubbing down the copper coil to get it as clean as possible.

4. The Condenser Has Restricted Airflow

When refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil, it picks up heat from your home and carries it outdoors. The fan in the condenser flows over the refrigerant line to help cool it down and blow heat away. If airflow around the condenser is blocked by weeds or fins on the condenser that are bent down, heat might build up inside the condenser and cause parts to overheat.

The result could be refrigerant that can't cool your house very well and overheated parts in the condenser that might fail. The first step in fixing this problem is to ensure air can flow freely around and through the AC condenser.

Be sure to call an HVAC technician if you are in need of air conditioner repair.