All of us found ourselves in this situation before: you come home from work on a hot summer day, and the AC is not cooling the house. You tried turning it on and off without result and as the minutes’ pass, you realize that the air conditioner is an essential of the modern life. And that you are not quite an expert. Air conditioning refers to cooling and dehumidifying the air inside a room, pursuing thermic comfort. For everyone’s understanding, the climate system called air conditioning means any form of cooling, heating, or ventilation that changes the air conditions and air temperature in a room. Whether your air conditioner is not blowing cold air or the air is just not cold enough, there’s always a solution at hand for AC troubleshooting. AFR Dynamics offers a broad spectrum of air conditioning services, leading the market by putting their costumer’s needs first. For a better understanding of why your AC is not cooling the house, let’s take a closer look to air conditioner components and discuss some of the main reasons your AC won’t cool.

How is the AC working?

Believe it or not, the air conditioner is one of the most straightforward appliances you can find in a household. It is usually using a refrigerating cycle and an evaporation one. It only has four essential components:

1. Freon Compressor
2. Condenser
3. Expansion Valve
4. Evaporator

In “Only Cooling” AC’s, the most common ones, these components are found in the following way :

• In the interior unit (the one inside the room) we can see the evaporator and a fan
• In the exterior unit (the one outside the building) there’s a condenser, a filter, and the other fan.

So far, so simple right? Two major mistakes that people think about the air conditioner cooling their house is that the interior unit generates cold air that comes from the exterior or that the internal unit produces the cold air. What makes the AC work is the actual cooling process that matters so much for us. It is called a Split System, and it can be easily explained in three simple steps:

– The air is absorbed out of the room by the indoor unit fan, then filtered, cooled in the evaporator battery, and reintroduced in the place,

– The heat taken up by the freon in the evaporator is transferred, with the help of the compressor, that raises the pressure, into the condenser where the freon is forced by the second fan to pass it to the atmospheric “cooling” air which it heats,

– Next, the refrigerant returns to the evaporator so that when it passes through the expansion valve, it lowers its pressure (and temperature)

– Then the cycle repeats itself.

Why won’t your AC cool & other troubleshooting

From an AC that shows that it’s on, but it’s not working to an air conditioner that won’t cool during the day, there can be a lot of reasons behind this troubleshooting errors. What has to be considered is that even though the AC looks like an easy job, an expert is always one call away.

Let’s proceed and look through the main AC troubleshooting reasons and problems.

Start with the thermostat

For proper functioning, a thermostat should always be set on AUTO. The most common mistake people make is placing it on ON, which runs the fan. Setting it on the ON command means that your air conditioner can sometimes blow cold air, warm air or won’t cool at all.

How often do you check your filter?

Changing an air filter is a job that everyone can do. But how do we know when its time to change it? A filter’s “life” lasts between 1 and three months. Usually, dust deposits being visible as the color changes from white to a dark grey. If the filter looks clean even after the given time and you are experiencing problems with your air conditioner you might want to check the following aspects :

Does the filter fit in the support? If the screen is too big, too small or just loose, the air flow will go around it, not through it. What you can do to prevent this, is measuring your AC unit’s support and buy a filter according to it.

Is the filter set up correctly? Maybe your filter is upside-down, and that’s why the AC is not cooling the house. Check the filter’s frame, and you will notice the arrows that indicate the right way you should install it.

Are you using a proper filter for your AC? Most air conditioners come up with filter instructions. The red flag for using the wrong filter is the amount of dust it retains. If it’s not a lot, that means you need a stronger filter.

Did you check the Air-fuel Ratio? If your cooling system is in good condition, a regular cycle should last around 15 minutes, therefore three cycles per hour. If the period is shorter than this, it’s time to call a specialist.

Keeping an AC filter clean also depends on how clean is your house. If you are experiencing cooling issues, maybe it’s time to vacuum more often and get rid of some of the carpets on your floor.

Keep an eye on the outside unit, too

The outside unit also called a condenser is the one that dissipates the heat coming from the inside unit. If it’s dirty or stuffed with leaves or other kinds of debris, it can be the cause of your AC is not cooling the house. Gently cleaning the unit and the area around it, can go a long way.

Low Refrigerant or Freon Levels

The AC lives off of freon or air refrigerant. This liquid is the one that makes the air cooling happen. Usually, the coolant should run out, but leaks may occur. If your AC is not cooling the house, if it’s making noise or if you see ice buildup on the outside unit, you are dealing with a refrigerant leak. The best thing to do is let a professional take care of this.

Other AC Troubleshooting causes

Having that said, we should view the remaining technical issues. Even if you can identify it by noticing unusual sounds or the simple fact that the air conditioner is not cooling as it did before, it is a professional air conditioning contractor’s job to fix it.

A broken fan in the outside unit: if the fan is broken, the condenser won’t dissipate heat

Damaged compressor: think of it as the core of the AC system. If it’s faulty, your air conditioner won’t cool the house properly, or it’s not cooling the home at all.

If you are seeking professional help – AFR Dynamics is what you need

Even though things seem simple on a first look, if you are experiencing issues, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask the help of a pro. AC systems are very sensible, so instead of causing more damage by trying to repair them yourself, and when the AC is not cooling the house call a professional. This way, you are protecting your investment in the long term, prolonging the AC’s lifetime. To do so, AFR Dynamics is the best solution. AFR Dynamics is offering you complete solutions at a reasonable price. Whether we are talking about AC Service, AC Maintaining or AC Installations and Set- Ups, we are offering our clients all the support and seriosity they need. To find out how we keep our client’s satisfaction at 100 percent and our full list of services, contact us now.