Air Conditioner Repair Checklist
1. AC Won’t Turn On
There can be a couple of causes why your central AC system won’t work: a tripped circuit breaker, wrong thermostat settings, a shut off switch or an overfull condensate drain pan.
Triggered Circuit Breaker
Your system won’t start when you have an overloaded breaker.
To check if one has tripped, locate your house’s main electrical panel. You can spot this gray device on the wall in the basement, garage or closet.
- Ensure your hands and feet are dry before you touch the panel or breakers.
- Find the breaker identified “AC” and ensure it’s in the “on” spot. If it’s triggered, the switch will be in the "off" position.
- Quickly shift the lever back to the “on” position. If it instantly triggers again, don’t touch it and call us at 713-469-3357. A fuse that keeps turning off may signal your house has an electrical problem.
Inaccurate Thermostat Settings
If your thermostat isn’t signaling your equipment to start, it won’t turn on.
The key point is checking it’s set to “cool” and not “heat.” Otherwise your air conditioner may not start running. You might also receive hot air moving from vents being the heat is running instead.
If you rely on a traditional thermostat:
- Replace the batteries if the readout is empty. If the readout is displaying scrambled characters, buy a new thermostat.
- Check the correct mode is on the display. If you can’t update it, cancel it by decreasing the temperature and pushing the “hold” button. This will make your AC start if scheduling is wrong.
- Test setting the thermostat 5 degrees cooler than the house’s temperature. Your AC won’t cool if the thermostat is identical to the house’s temperature.
Once your thermostat is calibrated accurately, you should start getting cold air fast.
If you rely on a smart thermostat, like one produced by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch, check the manufacturer’s website for troubleshooting. If it still won’t work, call us at 713-469-3357 for assistance.
Shut-Off Switch
Your system probably has a power-cutting lever near its outside unit. This lever is commonly in a metal box hung on your home. If your AC has recently been serviced, the lever may have inadvertently been turned off.
Blocked Condensate Drain Pan 
Condensate drain pans keep the additional liquid your air conditioner removes from the air. This pan can be positioned either beneath or inside your furnace or air handler.
When there’s a clog or blocked drain, water can accumulate and initiate a safety control to turn off your system.
If your pan involves a PVC pipe or drain, you can get rid of the additional liquid with a special pan-cleaning tablet. You can get these tablets at a home improvement or hardware shop.
If your pan involves a pump, find the float switch. If the lever is “up” and there’s water in the pan, you may need to install a new pump. Call us at 713-469-3357 for support.
2. AC Blows Warm Air
If your AC is working but not cooling, its airflow could be blocked. Or it could not have sufficient refrigerant.
Clogged Airflow
Your equipment’s airflow can be restricted by a blocked air filter or dusty condenser.
How to Replace Your Air Filter
A dirty filter can create many problems, including:
- Limited comfort
- Frozen refrigerant lines or evaporator coil
- Intermittent cooling
- Higher utility bills
- Leading your system to wear out more quickly
We propose changing flat filters every four weeks, and pleated filters every three months.
If you can’t remember when you last replaced your filter, turn off your system completely and remove the filter. You can spot the filter in your furnace or air pump’s blower compartment. It might also be situated in a connected filter box or wall-mounted return air grille.
Tilt the filter up to your light fixture. If you can’t see through it, you need to get a new one.
4 Tips on Cleaning Your Air Conditioning Unit
Weeds, plants and shrubbery can get in the way of your condensing system. This can limit its airflow, lower its energy efficiency and impact your comfort. Here’s a way you can get your unit running well again.
- Switch off power completely at the breaker or outside lever.
- Get rid of vegetation rubbish around the AC. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the refuse within a two-foot space, you can use a paint brush or vacuum to carefully remove dirt from the unit’s fins. Kinked fins can also impact efficiency.
- Use a hose nozzle to carefully remove gunk off the fins from inside the system. Don’t get liquid on the fan motor.
- Turn the power back on.
Low Refrigerant Levels
When air conditioning equipment doesn’t have enough refrigerant, they’ll have difficulty removing heat and humidity from your house.
Here are a few signs that your system is seeping refrigerant:
- It takes an extended amount of time to lower the temperature in your home and you’re regularly decreasing the temperature on the thermostat.
- Air conditioning coming through the vents isn’t as cold as it should be.
- You’re hearing hissing or burbling noises when the AC is on.
- Your evaporator coil is icy on account of having an issue absorbing heat.
Worried your equipment is seeping refrigerant? You need a authorized heating and cooling service expert to fix the leak and refill the correct amount of refrigerant in your system. Reach us at 713-469-3357 for assistance.
3. AC Not Blowing Enough Air
When it appears like you’re not having adequate amounts of cold air, there’s possibly a clog or separation inside your air conditioning unit.
- The beginning place is checking your air filter. Get a new one if it’s soiled.
- Make sure the ductwork is open around your home.
- If you’re still not receiving enough chilly air, you should have your ducts examined by a pro like Marcos AC & Heating. Your ducts may need to be serviced or rejoined in hard-to-reach locations like your attic, basement or crawl space.