Things to Check If Your Central Air Conditioner is not Cooling Well

Air conditioning has become more of a necessity than luxury these days. If your air conditioner stops delivering cool, fresh air into your home, you will surely feel stressed and uncomfortable.

Even if you are sure that your central air conditioner is running, as you can see and hear, it could possibly have a problem if it doesn't cool well as expected. To be able to check what could possibly be causing the problem, you must make sure that the supply of air is full and air flow is not limited anywhere in the system. That said you must see to it that the air filters are clean and the registers and compressor are working properly.

To check for possible problems, you should perform these:

Check the Indoor Air Handle

1. Turn your air conditioning handler or furnace off.

2. Check the filter. Remove the door of the air-handler cabinet and pull out the filter. If it is dirty, clean it but if it is damaged, you must replace it.

3. Look for ice. If ice is present near or around the coils, it is possibly because your filters are dirty or your coils or fans are not working well. Another possible cause is low refrigerant level. Have this checked and recharged by a qualified technician.

4. Check the condensate drain for blockage. Air conditioners are fitted with plastic drain pipes to collect the moisture it collects from the air. Check this pipe for blockage such as the growth of algae. Blockage can cause your air conditioner to stop working.

Check the Outdoor Compressor

1. Before checking the compressor, you should shut the power down and pull the plug away from the electric outlet to make sure that it is off.

2. Clean the outdoor compressor. See video below for detailed instructions.

3. Check to make sure that the compressor is in good condition. Set the thermostat temperature below room temperature to hear the compressor run and see the compressor fan turning. If the fan is still, look for an overload switch and reset it. If this doesn't work, spin the fan manually clockwise with a screwdriver. If the fan starts to spin, your unit's capacitor is possibly defective and needs replacement.

4 Check the refrigerant level for possible recharging. This should be done only by a qualified air conditioner repair professional. You should have this done only if the previous steps didn't work.

How to Clean Air Conditioner Coils