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

May 28, 2015

Living in comfort in the summer can be taken for granted, especially until you experience a taste of uneasiness with an air conditioner breakdown. It can hit at the worst moments; you’re eating lunch and unexpectedly recognize 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 uneasiness? It might be an occasion for an air conditioner replacement.

Often times, it isn’t the thermostat’s fault; the settings can be working properly, but it still states that the temperature is over 80 degrees. It’s most often caused by an old or faulty air conditioner that demands a call to the professionals to find out what’s wrong. There are many reasons why air conditioners fail, especially bearing in mind the weather in Crystal and Twin Cities. Here are some things that you can search for before you call GV Heating & Air if you think your air conditioner has stopped working:

  • Broken outdoor fan motor: There is a fan motor on your exterior air conditioning system that helps move the heat from your home to the outdoors. If you scrutinize your system and see that the fan isn’t working, it means that the heat transfer isn’t occurring, causing the warm air to remain in your home. This failure can also cause overheating of the compressor and other potential internal destruction to your system.
  • Dirty filters: It’s one of the most familiar issues that GV Heating & Air sees. These filthy filters in your air conditioner lower proper airflow, affecting the air quality in your home, which is really difficult when allergy season strikes. Filthy air filters can also decrease the efficiency in your home and increase your monthly energy costs.
  • Blocked air flow: Always look for an barrier or blockage in your return-air or supply-air grille. This can set off your air conditioner to waste efficiency and reduce speed.
    TIP: Make sure the grilles aren’t hidden by furniture or other home items, as well.
  • Outside obstructions: Good air flow could be also slowed down from outside blockages close to your system, such as shrubbery, trees, lawn chairs, etc. When the air flow is altered, it can influence it’s cooling capacities. Make sure that your system is uninhibited by obstacles and is cleaned routinely to reduce the possibility of air conditioner replacement.

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

  1. Is your thermostat temperature fixed below the indoor temperature?
  2. Is your system switch in the COOL spot?
  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 alter your system operation, call GV Heating & Air at 763-535-2000.

Don’t let an air conditioner breakdown or replacement keep you awake at night. If you follow these steps and keep your system under annual maintenance, you should have you air conditioner operating again in no time. Our team at GV Heating & Air in Crystal and Twin Cities is always here to assist – give us a call at 763-535-2000.