AC Repair in Bloomington IN: Fixing Faulty Air Conditioners

Summer is just right around the corner and although we all enjoy basking in its warmth at the beach, having that kind of heat at home is not appealing in any way. Also, we still must work as we certainly cannot spend the entire summer surfing or playing sandcastle at the beach. To survive the eminent hot months, our air conditioners must become our best friends.

Those things are life savers-literally, they will save you from burning up. Some people say air conditioners or ACs keep them sane during summer and trust me, they are not exaggerating. It is true because some summer days can get extremely hot especially in July when the heat is at its peak. In these periods, people get incredibly uncomfortable and rely heavily on ACs.

Since air conditioners will be in heavy use in the coming months, they are bound to develop some faults because yes, machines also breakdown from continuous heavy usage. As a result, knowing some of the likely issues that may occur and how to fix them will be of help if you are a “handyman” that loves to fix stuff up.

While some of these faults may be easily fixed by anyone who takes their time to do so, some do require an expert to get them fixed. Some of these experts work round the clock and it is no exception here in Bloomington. One could simply go on Google and search for 24 hour air conditioning repair in Bloomington, Indiana, and instantly find several companies to choose from.

Common Air Conditioner Faults

1. AC not turning on
2. AC not dehumidifying air
3. Poor airflow from cooling vents
4. Long compressor cycle with inadequate cooling
5. Short compressor cycle

AC Not Turning On

There are several reasons for which an ACs may refuse to turn on including a faulty thermostat, a bad fuse, or a tripped circuit breaker.

Possible Solutions

• Set the thermostat to be below the room temperature.
• Make sure every switch connected to the AC, including the external safety switch is turned on.
• Ensure that the thermostat is turned on and set to the “cool” and not “heat” position.
• Check if the circuit breaker for the compressor unit and that of the furnace blower are turned on. If either or both have tripped off, you would have to reset them. Also, if there is a blown fuse, replace it. If after replacing the fuse and resetting the circuit breaker they blow up or trip again, you may have a more serious issue. Turn everything off and contact a professional technician.
• Confirm that the air handler blower door is properly shut.
• If your AC unit uses a condensate collection tray, there is a sensor that turns it off once too much water has been collected in the tray. If this is the case, get rid of the water and replace the tray before turning the AC on again.

AC Not Dehumidifying Air

Oversized system

An air conditioner may not dehumidify air if the system is oversized. An oversized system means that the cooling unit is too big for the room or home it is being used for. This causes the unit to turn on and off frequently, this is called short cycling. In an oversized system, the AC will be unable to adequately remove humidity because it cools the air so fast that the thermostat turns off the system before the humid air travels to the cooling coil where it is dehumidified. Click here to learn more about the thermostat.

Possible solution

The only solution to this problem is replacing the oversized system with a properly sized one or increase the load by connecting the system to more rooms like the basement, attic, or garage.

Properly sized system

In a properly sized system, the issue of improper dehumidification can also occur. In such cases, the problem may be caused by an open window from which humid air comes into the room or improper condensate drainage from the evaporator coil. A fully functional air conditioner produces and drains away condensate. If a cooling unit does not do this, it will not cool and dehumidify air properly.

Possible solutions

• Close all windows when the AC is in use to prevent humid air from coming in.
• Ensure the cooling unit is draining the condensate properly.
• Use a dehumidifier to aid in dehumidification.

  

Poor Airflow from Cooling Vents

This problem is usually caused by a dirty air filter or blocked or disconnected ductwork.

Possible solutions

• Clean or replace the air filter if needed.
• Ensure all ductworks are properly connected and not crimped in any way. Take your time to inspect those in hard-to-reach areas like crawl spaces and the attic.
• Make sure the AC vents in the room are fully open.

Long Compressor Cycle

A compressor that stays ON for a long time (ON cycle) without adequately cooling a room is faulty as it can no longer perform its primary function- compressing the refrigerant. The compressor is kept in the housing unit always located outdoors and the fastest way to know it is faulty is if it makes excessive noise while running without cooling the room.

Possible solution

If the compressor of your cooling unit is faulty, there is nothing you can do about it. Simply call a technician to have it checked or replaced if necessary.

Short Compressor Cycle

A short compressor cycle occurs when the compressor turns on and off frequently. Usually, this may be caused by a leaking refrigerant, an oversized system, or an obstructed thermostat. Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerant to learn more about refrigerants.

Possible solutions

• Check if the air handler’s air filter is dirty and clean or replace it.
• Make sure nothing is obstructing the thermostat.
• Ensure the condenser fins located in the outdoor condensing unit are not bent. If they are, repair them using a fin comb.
• Get a technician to check for any refrigerant leaks.
• If you feel your cooling unit is oversized, have a technician replace it with a properly sized one.

Conclusion

The last thing you would want is for your AC to develop a fault when you need it most. To prevent this, inspect all the parts of your cooling unit mentioned in this article to make sure they work fine. Turn on the unit to see if it works properly and have a technician check it out if you are not comfortable doing any of the technical stuff.