Air Conditioner Replacement: what to do when your air conditioner stops working

May 28, 2015

Living in coolness in the summer can be taken for granted, particularly until you feel a taste of anxiety with an air conditioner malfunction. It can hit at the worst moments; you’re eating lunch and unexpectedly realize how warm your kitchen feels or you can’t fall asleep at night because you are so toasty enfolded in your covers. Think you’re feeling this uncomfortable feeling? It might be an occasion for an air conditioner replacement.

Often times, it isn’t the thermostat’s mistake; the settings can be operating properly, but it still reads that the temperature is above 80 degrees. It’s often times caused by an ancient or faulty air conditioner that demands a call to the professionals to find out what’s wrong. There are many explanations why air conditioners stop working, especially taking into consideration the weather in Des Moines. Here are some things that you can search for before you call Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling if you think your air conditioner has broken down:

  • Broken outdoor fan motor: There is a fan motor on your external air conditioning system that helps move the heat from your home to the outdoors. If you inspect your system and discover that the fan isn’t working, it means that the heat transfer isn’t transpiring, causing the warm air to stay in your home. This problem can also cause overheating of the compressor and other possible internal damage to your system.
  • Dirty filters: It’s one of the most familiar issues that Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling sees. These dirty filters in your air conditioner reduce proper airflow, affecting the air quality in your home, which is really problematic when allergy season strikes. Filthy air filters can also reduce the efficiency in your home and increase your monthly energy costs.
  • Blocked air flow: Always look for an barrier or obstruction in your return-air or supply-air grille. This can set off your air conditioner to waste efficiency and decelerate.
    TIP: Make sure the grilles aren’t concealed by furniture or other home items, also.
  • Outside obstructions: Proper air flow could be also deterred from exterior blockages close to your system, such as shrubbery, trees, lawn chairs, etc. When the air flow is altered, it can influence it’s cooling abilities. Make sure that your system is free from obstacles and is cleaned regularly to decrease the chance of air conditioner replacement.

Once you’ve gone through these four system checks and your air conditioner still isn’t operating, here are a list of questions and steps that you should inspect and answer to get your system up and functioning again. (Only progress to the next question if the system doesn’t turn on after doing the step before it):

  1. Is your thermostat temperature set below the indoor temperature?
  2. Is your system switch in the COOL setting?
  3. Is the outdoor unit power supply switch ON?
  4. Is the furnace/air handler power supply ON?
  5. Is your house fuse box/breaker box intact or has it blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker?
  6. If none of these things fix your system function, call Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling at 515-207-6569.

Don’t let an air conditioner malfunction or replacement keep you up at night. If you follow these steps and keep your system under routine maintenance, you should have you air conditioner operating again in no time. Our team at Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling in Des Moines is always here to be of service – give us a call at 515-207-6569.