When it rains, it pours. This expression doesn’t just apply to precipitation. It also applies to heat. When the summer sun starts shining its hardest, it only makes sense that the risk of an air conditioner breakdown should increase in turn. That’s why HVAC technicians are busiest during the hottest days of the year.
If a broken AC has shot a cannonball through your comfort, then your priority is to determine whether you can quickly and easily restore functionality to the unit without having to call an HVAC tech. If a simple fix isn’t within reach, then your next goal is to keep your home as cool as possible until an HVAC tech can come to save the day. Here’s what you can do!
See If You Can Get Your Air Conditioner Working Again
- Check the thermostat. It is possible that the setting on your thermostat was changed without your knowledge (a common occurrence in households with children who are fascinated by electronics). Before doing anything else, make certain your thermostat is still set to cool. Also, if your thermostat is battery operated, make sure a dead 9-volt isn’t the culprit.
- Check the circuit breaker. The average central AC unit consumes between 3,000 to 5,000 watts per hour. It’s just one of several high-power appliances that can trip a circuit breaker during normal operation. Go to your breaker box and see if the switch connected to your AC has tripped; if it has, flipping it back can solve the problem. But take care! If a circuit breaker trips frequently, it could indicate a serious issue with your home’s electrical system.
- Check the wall switch. It’s not unusual for an AC unit to be connected to an indoor wall switch. If yours is one of them, then it’s quite possible you forgot about the switch entirely. Check to make sure it is on (flipped switches are yet another common occurrence in households with children).
- Replace the air filter. If your AC is still operating – but failing to produce sufficient cool air – then it may simply have a dirty filter. Go check your HVAC system’s air handler unit. If its filter is visibly soiled, then replacing it may solve the issue right away. Regular AC maintenance should always include checking the HVAC filter.
- Check the coils. It’s not uncommon for an AC unit’s evaporator and/or condenser coil to become encased in ice, even when the weather is unusually balmy. If visual inspection of the unit reveals that is indeed the case, simply wait for the ice to melt. Your AC should function adequately once its coils are freed, but take caution. Frozen coils often indicate a serious problem that can only be addressed by an HVAC tech.
If none of these DIY fixes do the trick, then your best bet is to call an HVAC tech for emergency AC repairs. If they aren’t available to come out immediately, then you need to know how to…
Keep Your Home Cool While Your Air Conditioner Is Broken
- Lower the shades. On a hot day, up to 87% of heat gain comes in through the windows – the greenhouse effect in action. If your AC unit gives up the ghost when it’s roasting hot outside, then you can do a lot to keep your home cooler by closing your blinds, drawing your curtains, lowering your shades, or doing whatever else you can to intercept sunlight.
- Open the windows (at night). This probably comes as no surprise, but it’s cooler outside during the nighttime. Take advantage of that by flinging your windows open once the sun goes down (so long as you trust your screens to keep mosquitoes at bay).
- Make a makeshift AC. We’re not going to undermine your intelligence by advising you to sit in front of a fan. But here’s something that may not have occurred to you: by placing a bowl of ice just in front of a fan, you can massively increase its cooling potential. You may also strap a bag of ice to the back of a fan, so long as you take care to keep water from dripping onto electrical components.
- Switch ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise. Every ceiling fan has a switch that reverses the rotation of its blades. When a ceiling fan rotates clockwise, it will draw warm air upward and circulate it throughout the room. You don’t want that during the summer, which is why you should make sure your ceiling fans are set to rotate counterclockwise each summer. Doing so will push a pleasant cooling breeze downward.
- Avoid cooking. Order takeout. Go out to eat. Fire up the grill. Anything you can do to avoid using your oven will only help to keep your home cooler.
Has an AC breakdown made your home or commercial property almost uninhabitable? If you live or do business in Sioux City, IA or the surrounding tri-state area, then O’Connor Heating & Cooling is standing by to take care of all your AC repair needs. Contact us today to request 24/7 emergency service!
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