preparing your air conditioning unit for summer use

When you own a home, one of the most frustrating occurrences is when your air conditioner does not cool like it should. When your air is not cold, it needs some sort of attention. The issue could be easy to fix, or it may involve a major repair. Before you call in a technician, try some of these quick tips to see if your air conditioner will cool:

Clean Debris from Around the Outdoor Unit

The outdoor unit of the air conditioner is known as the condenser. The condenser is one of the most important parts of an HVAC unit. Over time, dirt, grass, leaves and other yard debris can build up on the condenser. When this happens, air cannot freely circulate, which is necessary for the condenser to work.

If your air conditioner is not cooling, go outside to make sure there is no debris clogging up your condenser. In addition to debris, grown grass or shrubs around your condenser needs to be trimmed regularly, as the growth of foliage near the condenser can prevent air from getting to it.

Look at Your Electrical Breakers

Another area to check is your electrical breaker that powers your air conditioner. While you believe you would immediately notice that your electrical breaker is off, most air conditioners use more than one switch for full power. Only one breaker has to trip for the entire unit to not function properly.

Look at your breaker box and find the switches attributed to your air conditioner. Touch each one to make sure it is fully switched on. To make the process easier, switch each of your air conditioner breakers to the off position, then back on. This will ensure each breaker is in the correct position.

 Make Sure the Thermostat Is Running Correctly

If you still do not have cool air coming from your air conditioner, the problem could lie with your thermostat. When a digital thermostat has a blank read out, if you see any part of the read-out blinking, or notice anything else odd, this could be why your air is not cool. The thermostat is essential to the full function of the air conditioning system. The problem may simply lie with a dead battery or a dysfunctional thermostat. You can have a thermostat changed out in a matter of minutes in most cases. If you do not feel comfortable changing out a thermostat yourself, your air conditioning technician can do it for you.