Not Sure Your Air Conditioner Is Working? How To Find Out
The warm weather is here and on its way, depending on where in the country you live. If you are turning your air conditioning on for the first time but you are not sure it is working properly, that can be remedied. Here is how you can find out before you invite the AC technician over.
Switching Your Thermostat to "Fan Only" Changes Nothing
You may feel cool air blowing through the vents but not much of a reduction in temperature in your home. If that is the case, switch your thermostat to "fan only," which will only activate the fan in your heating and cooling system. No cooling or heating applications will run when just the fan is running. If the temperature of the fan air appears to be the same as when you have the thermostat set to "cool," then there is a possibility that the A/C is not working. Also, if the temperature in the house only drops a couple of degrees and stalls out in either situation, the A/C is not working and needs repair.
There Is an Influx of Warm Air
If you have a heat pump for the purposes of cooling your home but your home seems to be inundated by warm air instead of cool air, your pump might be broken. If your pump also heats your home on cooler days, switch it on to "heat" first and feel the air coming from the vents. Then switch the thermostat to "cool" and feel the air coming from the vents again. If there is only a slightly noticeable difference or the air feels as though it is the same temperature, there could be a problem with either the pump or the thermostat, both of which will need to be checked out by an HVAC technician to see what is not working and what needs to be repaired or replaced.
The Condenser Does Not Seem to Be Operating
The condenser box is located outside of your home. Switch to "cool" on your thermostat, and then go outside. Put your hands on the condenser box and listen and feel. It should hum, vibrate, blow out hot air, etc. If it does not do any of that or does not do more than one of those things, the condenser itself may be damaged. That would be why you do not seem to get any cool air inside your home. The technician will check and repair it.
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