Maintenance
Below is a guide to maintaining your central air units to prolong their life and overall effectiveness.
Q: How do I maintain my central air units?
Homeowners can do the following things::
- Inspect thermostat for proper operation.
- Inspect filter, and change or clean as needed.
- Check all electrical components and controls.
- Oil motors as needed.
- Inspect heat exchanger for possible cracks. A crack in the heat exchanger will introduce carbon monoxide into the living space.
- Check air flow. If diminished, it may be necessary to clean the evaporator coil.
- Check air-fuel mixture, where appropriate.
FAQ
Here, you will find common problems related to heating, air conditioning, and ventilation and tips and methods on how to go about fixing them.
Air Conditioning
- Check the main electrical panel and any secondary circuit panels for a tripped breaker or blown fuse. If the problem is found there, reset the breaker by turning it off and replace the fuse. If the breaker continues to cause problems, the problem likely exists in the system's fan, capacitor, or motor.
- Make sure the thermostat is set to 'COOL' and at least 3 degrees below the current room temperature.
- Make sure the power is on. Check the switch in the furnace and the outdoor condenser.
- Remove the cover on the thermostat after powering off the air conditoner. Remove the body of the thermostat and make sure all the wires are connected properly and replace the batteries (if the thermostat takes batteries). Replace the cover on the thermostat and wait 5 minutes before turning it back on.
- Finally, check the compressor's wires and capacitor. The capacitor in the compressor starts the blower fan. If your compressor's capacitor has failed, the air conditioner will not run.
- Turn off the power to the air conditioning air handler or the power to the furnace. If the air handler is a gas furnace, turn off the gas valve.
- Remove the door on the air-handler unit so that you can access the air filter. Remove the filter and clean it or replace it if required.
- Look for icon aroun the coils. If you do see or feel ice, close the unit up, turn the power back on to the unit, and then turn on the fan from the thermostat. The ice will take a few hours to melt. Will it's unthawing, keep the fan on and don't run the unit. After the ice has melted, turn the unit back on.
Heating
- Be sure nothing is blocking the flow of air.
- Be sure the thermostat is set to 'HEAT' and that the blower fan is set to 'ON' or 'AUTO'. Make sure the thermostat is set to 5 degrees above the room temperature.
- Make sure to check that the registers in all rooms are open and are not blocked.
- Check the filter and make sure that it doesn't need to be cleaned or replaced. A dirty filter will reduce the efficency of a furnace.
- If those steps don't fix the problem, contact us to inspect the blower or to see if the system is out of balance.
- Check the main electrical panel and any secondary circuit panels for a tripped breaker or blown fuse. If the problem is found there, reset the breaker by turning it off and replace the fuse. If the breaker continues to cause problems, the problem likely exists in the system's fan, capacitor, or motor.
- Make sure the thermostat is set to 'COOL' and at least 3 degrees below the current room temperature.
- Make sure the power is on. Check the switch in the furnace and the outdoor condenser.
- Remove the cover on the thermostat after powering off the air conditoner. Remove the body of the thermostat and make sure all the wires are connected properly and replace the batteries (if the thermostat takes batteries). Replace the cover on the thermostat and wait 5 minutes before turning it back on.
- Finally, check the compressor's wires and capacitor. The capacitor in the compressor starts the blower fan. If your compressor's capacitor has failed, the air conditioner will not run.
If you unable to find the answer please contact us and we will aim to respond quickly.