6 Steps to Repair the Central Air Conditioning System

Troubleshooting a central air conditioning system

What happens when your central air conditioner does not cool or cool down? This tutorial will show you how to solve problems and repair your air conditioning system so that you can be cool without having to call the technical service.

In the tutorial how does your home's air conditioning system work? You will learn about the five main elements of a central air conditioning system: refrigerant, compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporation coil.

There is also the "brain" of your heating and cooling system, called the thermostat which can also be a problem at times. Let's look at some air conditioning problems and their possible solutions.

If you have a window air conditioner, please see the room-mounted room air conditioning troubleshooting tutorial for other tips.

Possible causes:

If you cannot make the air conditioning system active, then the most common causes are in a circuit breaker or blown fuse, an improperly fixed or defective thermostat, or an internal switch that is off

Possible solutions:

• Make sure the thermostat is in the "cool" position and not "off" or "warm".
• Ensure that the thermostat is cooling by making it set at a lower temperature than the current environment.
• Check that the 240 volt circuit breaker (dual switch) that controls the air conditioner / condensing unit compressor and the 120 volt circuit breaker that controls the fan or the independent air handler are in the "on" . If a circuit breaker has blown or blown a fuse, then reactivate the circuit breaker or replace the fuse. If you reactivate the circuit breaker or replace the fuse and fail again, call the service technician because you could have a more serious problem.
• Check that all switches inside and around the air conditioner are in the "on" position, including the external safety switch that is usually located on an outside wall near the condensing unit.
• Check if the condensate collection tray (if your unit has one) has excess water. Sometimes this tray is installed on remote air handlers that use condensate collection instead of draining. When using this tray, there may be a sensor that turns the unit off when water collects in the tray.
• Check to verify that the fan door on the air handler is properly closed.

2. Low airflow in the room ventilation vents

Possible Causes:

A poor air flow usually results from a dirty air filter or a duct that has been blocked, undulated or disconnected.

Possible solutions:

• Confirm that the air filter is clean. If it is dirty, clean or replace the air filter.
• Visually inspect all pipelines to make sure they have not been disconnected or waved. This includes ducts that can be difficult to access in attics, basements or spaces where you have to crawl. Repair or connect as needed.
• Check the vents in the rooms to make sure they are open.

3. Air conditioning does not dehumidify properly

Possible Causes:

This problem can be caused by an air conditioning system too large for the home. One way to know if this is the root cause is if your air conditioning system has always had problems to properly dehumidify your home, and commonly has short cycles (turns on and off frequently). If so, then a system of a larger size is the probable cause.

Too large a system will cool the air so fast that enough humid air will not get through the cooling coil to be dehumidified.

Once the thermostat turns off the air conditioner because it has reached the desired temperature, there may still be too much moisture in the air.

Possible Solutions:

The only real solution is to replace the condensing unit and coils with a properly sized system. You can also try to artificially increase the cooling load, such as cooling the garage or basement with additional ducts.

4. Air conditioning does not dehumidify properly

Possible causes:

In addition to being caused by an inadequately large system, the lack of dehumidification can be caused by excessive moisture in the house. This excessive humidity may be due to water leaks or open windows during times of humidity or due to the lack of proper drainage of condensation in the evaporator of the boiler plenum. A cooling unit that works properly will produce condensation and drain it.

If your unit is not producing condensation, the cooling and dehumidifying functions are not working properly.

Possible solutions:

• Make sure all windows are closed so that no damp air can enter;
• Make sure the condensate drain is working properly;
• Add additional dehumidification with a portable dehumidifier.

If there is possible to mistake for solution, it’s better to get help from air conditioner repair in Western Springs, IL.

5. Inadequate cooling with long "on" compressor cycles

Probable Causes:

Improper cooling associated with a long "on" cycle of the compressor is a sign that a worn compressor has lost its ability to compress the refrigerant.

Possible solutions:

The service technician should check the compressor and possibly replace the part.

Compressor "on" short cycle

A compressor with short cycles, one that turns on and off frequently, is a symptom of a clogged thermostat, leakage of refrigerant, frozen coils or, in some cases, a cooling system of a larger size.

Possible solutions:

• Ensure that the thermostat is not obstructed;
• Clogged condensation fins (dirty or too sloping) on the external condensing unit (if the fins are tilted, repair with a comb for fins);
• Dirty air filter;
• Incorrect refrigerant charge (service technician required)
• Refrigerant leak (service technician required)
• Replace the larger condensing unit and coils (service technician required).