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

May 28, 2015

Living at ease in the summer can be taken for granted, especially until you encounter a taste of uneasiness with an air conditioner malfunction. It can hit at the worst moments; you’re eating lunch and abruptly feel 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 discomfort? It might be time for an air conditioner replacement.

Usually, it isn’t the thermostat’s fault; the settings can be working correctly, but it still reads that the temperature is beyond 80 degrees. It’s usually caused by an outdated or faulty air conditioner that requires a call to the professionals to find out what’s wrong. There are many causes for why air conditioners fail, especially taking into consideration the weather in Jefferson City. Here are a few things that you can search for before you call Stieferman Heating Company Inc if you think your air conditioner has broken down:

  • Broken outdoor fan motor: There is a fan motor on your outdoor air conditioning system that helps flow the heat from your home to the outdoors. If you scrutinize your system and discover that the fan isn’t running, it means that the heat movement isn’t occurring, causing the warm air to hang around in your home. This failure can also initiate overheating of the compressor and other possible internal destruction to your system.
  • Dirty filters: It’s one of the most common issues that Stieferman Heating Company Inc sees. These unclean filters in your air conditioner reduce appropriate airflow, affecting the air quality in your home, which is really problematic when allergy season comes around. Filthy air filters can also lower the efficiency in your home and boost 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 decrease efficiency and slow down.
    TIP: Make sure the grilles aren’t covered by furniture or other home items, also.
  • Outside obstructions: Proper air flow could be also slowed down from outside blockages near your system, such as shrubbery, trees, lawn chairs, etc. When the air flow is deterred, it can affect it’s cooling abilities. Make sure that your system is free from obstacles and is cleaned regularly to lower the likelihood of air conditioner replacement.

Once you’ve worked through these four system checks and your air conditioner still isn’t working, here are a list of questions and tests that you should inspect and answer to get your system up and working again. (Only move on 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 position?
  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 procedure, call Stieferman Heating Company Inc at 573-635-3547.

Don’t let an air conditioner breakdown 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 Stieferman Heating Company Inc in Jefferson City is always here to help – give us a call at 573-635-3547.