Owning HVAC appliances brings you occasional troubleshooting tasks. Whether you own an AC or a heater, you wouldn’t like the appliance to misbehave when you need a comfortable temperature in your interiors. For routine maintenance and repairs, you can check out an established company by clicking here. However, there are times when self-help works. In this post, we have mentioned a few HVAC issues that you can try and sort out on your own.
Of course, maintaining sophisticated appliances calls for professional expertise. However, it pays to know the basics, given that you won’t be shelling out extra bucks in case you can fix a few minor issues.
Common Trouble Points In Your HVAC System And Their Remedies
Here are some of the common issues faced by people with their HVAC systems and tips on how you can solve them yourself.
Trouble With Turning On And Off
If you have been wondering why your AC continues to turn off when you don’t expect it to, the trouble may lie in the thermostat. At times, the machine might refuse to turn on at all. Before reaching out to the professionals, you have a few things to try out yourself.
- Firstly, check whether or not the thermostat has got power. In case you have a battery-operated thermostat, you may try installing new batteries.
- In case you find the thermostat receiving power, look out for the right temperature settings. At times, kids may alter the temperature settings. Accidental pressing of buttons can also lead to similar issues.
Reduced Airflow And Inefficiency
In case your HVAC appliance has not undergone routine maintenance for long, you might recognize a dip in performance. This would be evident in the form of reduced efficiency and poor air quality. At times, you would notice that the air being released by the vents happens to be humid or dusty. You would not like your family to inhale the unhealthy air indoors.
- The accumulation of dirt in air filters in your HVAC system may lead to poor air quality. This takes a toll on its performance. The air filters may get clogged with dirt, and you need to keep them in the best of health.
- At times, these filters may need replacement. It is easy to replace the filters in your AC. However, you may reach out to the experts in case you are not familiar with the process.
- However, lower refrigerant levels may also lead to low efficiency in your HVAC system. This implies that you would continue to experience reduced airflow even after changing the filters. Under such conditions, you need to call in the experts for professional support.
Blower Motor Refusing To Turn On
Sometimes, it may be frustrating to turn the blower motor on without success. This may happen due to several reasons in your unit.
- The issue may arise from simple problems, such as a tripped breaker. In case you find the blower motor not turning on, inspect the breaker panel. In most systems, you would be having two breakers. One of these is placed for the fan, while the other for the condenser. In case you find it tripped halfway, you need to turn it off at the outset and then turn it on again to fix the issue.
- Even after this, you might find it continually flipping when you try to start the unit. This indicates a fault in the breaker, which you would need to replace.
- The switch might be set off by a clogged drain line, cutting off power, or the switch might be malfunctioning. So, make sure that the hose or drain line does not have any clog.
- Check out the wiring for possible damages, as this can also be a possible reason. It would be wise to appoint an HVAC expert to troubleshoot the system.
Icicles in your AC
At times, you might notice ice developing on your AC. This is caused due to the freezing of coils. Besides, frozen coils may also prevent the appliance from blowing cold air. However, this is something you can fix on your own. A dirty filter might be restricting the airflow, or the external temperature is too low.
- Turn off the compressor of your AC and set it to the fan mode. This would melt the ice accumulated around the coil.
- You might also check the evaporator coil and air filters for debris. In case you find these parts clogged, give them a quick clean-up.
- Also inspect the ductwork, looking for possible disconnections or obstructions. Make sure that the registers are not blocked.
- However, if the issue continues, it might indicate a refrigerant leak. Reach out to one of an established professional for a dedicated service.
Short cycling
In case you find your AC stopping and starting repeatedly every few minutes, there might be a short cycling issue. In this case, there are too many culprits to blame, like a refrigerant leak, a dirty filter, or a faulty thermostat. Again, this may be caused by a structural problem or the wrong placement of the thermostat.
- Short cycling is related closely to frozen coils in ACs. In this case, we recommend the same measures as discussed above.
- However, if the issue persists, clean the air filter and replace the same.
- Short cycling may also be caused by a leak in the refrigerant. In this case, you need to call in the experts.
EndNote
While it might be interesting to explore the parts of your HVAC system and diagnose problems, some issues are best left to the professionals. In this post, you have come to know some of the problems that you can fix on your own. In case the strategies briefed up here fail, make sure to seek professional assistance. Professional knowledge has no alternative, and sophisticated systems call for expertise while handling.
Besides, trying to fix issues that don’t lie within your ambit may lead to voided warranties. Now that you know the basics of troubleshooting your HVAC system, you can use your discretion to fix issues on your own or seek a professional hand.