On a 100-degree day in Norwalk, an AC that runs but doesn't cool feels like an emergency. Sometimes it is. Often it's a ten-minute fix. Here's what to check, in order, before you call anyone.
By Mickey Wilson, owner of One Hour Plumbing Service. Licensed plumbing contractor, CSLB #992029.
1. The thermostat
Make sure it's set to Cool, not Fan or Auto with the heat on, and that the set temperature is below the room temperature. If the screen is blank, replace the batteries. It sounds obvious, and it's the cause of more service calls than anyone likes to admit.
2. The air filter
A clogged filter chokes airflow, and the system can't cool air it can't move. Pull the filter and hold it up to a light. If you can't see through it, replace it. In this area, with the dust and the summer run time, filters need changing every one to three months.
3. The breaker and the outdoor unit
Check the electrical panel for a tripped breaker, and check the disconnect box next to the outdoor unit. Then look at the unit itself: is the fan spinning? Is it packed with leaves, grass clippings, or cottonwood fluff? Turn the system off and gently hose the fins from the outside. A dirty condenser can't shed heat.
4. Ice on the lines
If the copper line at the outdoor unit or the indoor coil is iced over, turn the AC off and run the fan only for a couple of hours to thaw it. Ice means either weak airflow (go back to the filter) or low refrigerant, which is a leak and needs a technician.
5. Water on the floor
Water under the indoor unit is almost always the condensate drain line, the PVC pipe that carries moisture away from the coil. Algae clogs it, the pan fills, and it overflows. This one is a plumbing fix. Mickey clears condensate lines himself.
When to stop and call
If the filter is clean, the breaker is on, the outdoor fan runs, and the air still isn't cold, you're past the homeowner checklist. The likely culprits are a failed capacitor, a bad contactor, or a refrigerant leak, and all three need a licensed HVAC technician. Call One Hour Plumbing Service and Mickey will tell you what it sounds like, then set up a licensed HVAC crew and stay on the job until the house is cool.
- Burning smell or buzzing from the unit: shut it off at the breaker and call
- Breaker trips again right after you reset it: don't keep resetting it, call
- Someone elderly, an infant, or someone with a health condition is in the house: say so on the call, it moves you up the list
Related service: AC Repair & HVAC
Service area: Plumber in Norwalk