Here we are midway through July without any end in sight to these extreme heat advisories. If your air conditioner breaks during a heat wave chances are good that it could be a very minor repair needed. Of course that isn’t always the case, so here is a breakdown of some common causes that we see during the hot summer months.
As always- check out our air conditioning troubleshooting guide if your system does go down. Some things you can check yourself that may get you back up and running without needing the visit of an a/c repair technician.
Capacitors– When we get three or more days over 100 degrees a likely failure is with one of the system’s capacitors. This is something that a seasoned DIY’er could potentially do themselves but it is something you’d need to very careful and highly recommend watching a YouTube video or five before attempting yourself. We also test capacitors on maintenance visits, so it is always a good idea to keep up on routine check-ups.
Condensate Lines– Another reason maintenance is so important is making sure there are no clogs in the condensate line. Although even a well maintained system can get algae build up as well, nature is fickle after all.
- If you have had one of our systems installed recently and the furnace is in the attic we install a safety switch in the secondary pan that will cut power to the system if water becomes present. That way you’re calling us saying your a/c doesn’t work, not that your ceiling has fallen in!
- Make sure your primary drain terminates in a permeable surface like a flower bed or French drain. Make sure it is not covered by dirt or soil. If it runs onto concrete it can make a slippery surface and become a hazard.
- If you ever see water coming out of the secondary drain (over a door or window) turn off your air conditioner immediately and contact us for service. This is the emergency back up drain and if water is coming out of it, it means the primary is clogged. This is another task that can be done by the homeowner by watching a video on YouTube.
Frozen Coil/ Refrigerant Line– If you spot ice forming on the coil or copper refrigeration line outside by the air conditioner, turn the system off immediately. You can go to the thermostat and turn the fan from “auto” to “on” and the indoor blower will run the fan by itself to help speed up defrosting the system. If it is iced up when we arrive it can be hard to repair. Likely reasons for the freeze:
- Airflow restriction- if there is a clogged filter or dirty coils it can cause the indoor evaporative coil to freeze. Check your filter regularly and make sure the outdoor coil is kept clean with regular maintenance or you can DIY with our video here.
- Refrigerant restriction- there could be a clog in the expansion valve that regulates the flow of Freon through the system.
- Low on refrigerant- when the system is low on refrigerant it can cause the system to freeze up. These systems are what we refer to as sealed loop systems and if refrigerant is needing to be added it is important to find the cause and location of the leak.
Of course there are other reasons that your system may go down in the middle of a heat wave. If these tips don’t help and you still need a service technician to come out and assess the problems with your air conditioning system, call and leave a message on our after-hours voicemail or email us as soon as you notice a problem. You’ll be highest in the queue over those folks who wait until we are open to call in with a service request.