Trouble with AC? Here’s what to do

The first of the summer heat waves has already hit much of the nation, and it won’t be the last. Your home likely depends heavily on air conditioning to keep cool when the heat index reaches three digits. But this means that when air conditioning goes out, repairing it becomes a much more urgent need.

Here are some tips on what to do when you have A/C trouble.

Confirm the problem

Quite often, your air conditioner failing might be connected to some other problem entirely. Check your circuit breaker to make sure that it hasn’t tripped. (Since air conditioners are among the biggest power draws in your house, they’re more likely to exceed your breaker’s limits during extremely hot weather.) Make sure your thermostat is working correctly and that its power source is in order. Some thermostats work on batteries, others are directly wired into the home.

Additionally, make sure the outdoor unit has clearance from bushes and plants around it so it can ventilate correctly. An overheating outdoor unit can trigger the circuit breaker or a safety switch.

Clean and up-to-date

Just like an oil change for the car, air conditioners require frequent maintenance. If you haven’t already hired a pro to take a look at your A/C, call in one now for an inspection and cleaning. A proper air conditioning servicing job costs about $100 (or it may be part of your service contract, if you have one). The tech will check your systems, inspect them for any problems, and clean and tune up certain components.

The best time to perform this service is in the spring, before you turn it on for the first time of the year. The second-best time to do it is right now.

Check the safety switches

Most air conditioners have a number of fail-safe systems built into the unit. Any one of these could trigger in order to prevent a potentially hazardous situation. For instance, both indoor and outdoor units usually have a disconnect switch that completely shuts down power flow to the unit, so HVAC techs can work safely.

Your AC tends to collect a lot of water. It usually drains through a pipe, but if that pipe gets clogged, the water overflows into a drip pan under the unit. If the drip pan is close to overflowing, or installed in the wrong place, the system shuts down automatically. The good news here is that repairing it is often as simple as dumping the drain pan.

Call a professional

If one of these solutions doesn’t address your problem, odds are that you have a refrigerant issue, a mechanical failure or some kind of electrical issue. These are tasks that are well beyond the ability of most DIYers, especially since refrigerant can be hazardous and requires extensive training and certification to work with it safely. This is a job for a professional.