Summer is quickly approaching. For the greater Kansas City area, that means average daily high temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. As the heat steadily increases, problems with air conditioning in your home will become more evident. So, how do you know when to call the professionals or if it is an issue you can take care of yourself?
Diagnosing air conditioning problems is much like diagnosing medical illness. There are a certain set of symptoms that go along with your stomach ache or sore throat that let you know to contact your physician. Problems with your air conditioners are the same. Here is a list of common air conditioning problems — and tips for how to know when to call a professional:
- Air conditioner won’t turn on automatically or won’t cool: Check to make sure the power supply is properly connected, the unit is set to cool, there are no blown fuses, the breaker box has not been tripped and the thermostat is set to a temperature below the ambient temperature. If none of those is the problem, there may be a problem with the compressor. For that, we recommend calling a specialist.
- Water pools next to the air conditioner: Check to make sure there are no leaking tubes and clean the filter. If neither of those strategies stops the pooling, the refrigerant supply may be low. An HVAC specialist will be able to help you.
- Air conditioner is making noises: All air conditioning units are mechanically driven with various indoor and outdoor motors, blower wheels and fan blades. There are many moving parts required to make you r home or office cool during the cooling season. If your unit begins making unusual loud or grinding noises, it is likely that a failure is near and inevitable. To prevent further damage, and as soon as you notice strange sounds coming from your air conditioner, turn the power off and call a specialist for assistance.
The short list above is meant to help you determine when you can troubleshoot your air conditioning problems, and when you need the help of an expert. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Overland Park Heating & Cooling. We are happy to answer any questions and provide expert guidance.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Overland Park Heating & Cooling services Overland Park and surrounding areas in Kansas. To get started, check out our website or see our current specials.