Central Ac Doesnít Work At All

If your central air conditioning equipment doesnít go on immediately when the thermostat signals the need for cooling, itís quite likely that the thermostat isnít working properly or the unit is receiving electrical power. Before you do anything else, be sure the thermostat is set to COOL and its temperature setting is well below the ambient temperature.
Then perform the following:

1 Test the main electrical panel as well as any secondary circuit panels for a tripped breaker or blown fuse. If you discover the problem there, reset the circuit breaker by turning it off and then on or replace the fuse. A central air conditioner must be on a dedicated 240-volt circuit.

2 Make sure the central heater on / off switch is turned on and that the outdoor condenserís on / off switch, which is installed on the outdoor unit, hasnít been turn off. Also be sure the 240-volt disconnect near the compressor, which is in a metal box usually mounted on the house wall, hasnít been shut off.

3 Turn off the power to the ac and check the thermostat. Take off the thermostatís cover from the base (usually by pulling straight out) and replace the batteries (if it has batteries). Replace the cover and wait around three or four minutes and try the system again.

4 If that doesnít do the job, open the thermostat again and remove the wire from the Y terminal. Turn the power back on. Holding the wire by its insulation only, touch the bare end to the R terminal and hold it there approximately two minutes. If the compressor kicks on, the thermostat is defective; change it out. If the compressor doesnít go on whenever you hold the 2 wires together, switch the power back off and phone an air-conditioning technician.

Still not working? Please keep reading.

Hvac Doesnít Cool Well

If you're able to hear your central ac operating, but it doesnít cool well, the problem may be caused by a couple of issues. The very first thing to do is make sure the filter in the air handler is clear so that it receives proper air flow.

1 Turn off the power to the air conditioner.

2 Take out the door on the front of the air-handler cabinet to give you accessibility to the filter. Grab the filter and clean or change it out as needed.

3 Look for ice. If you see ice in the area around the coils, shut the machine back up, turn the power back on, and turn on the fan. The ice should dissolve within an hour or two.

4 Clear the condensate drain. Air conditioning units can produce a lot of water since they remove moisture from the air. To get rid of this, they have a [usually plastic] drain pipe that comes out of the side of the air handler. With time, algae can block this pipe and, when it does, the A/C wonít work. Water is also likely to puddle near the system or perhaps flood the area. 

5 Clean the outdoor compressor. 

6 Make sure the compressor is functioning. When you set the thermostat to a temperature below the room temperature, you should notice the outdoor compressor run and see the fan turning inside the top. If the fan isnít rotating, look for an overload button or switch to reset (not all types have this). Place a screwdriver down through the top grille and then try to spin the fan blades clockwise. They should spin freely. If doing this gives the fan enough of a boost to get going, the device has a faulty capacitor that must definitely be replaced by an Hvac repair technician.

If none of these steps worked, the likelihood is pretty good that the coolant needs to be recharged by an air conditioning professional.

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