If your air conditioner isn’t working and you have thrown your hands in the air, we here at Arctic Refrigeration are ready to help you with a few simple checks you can do yourself and some guidance for when it is time to call a professional.
5 Simple ways to fix your air conditioner:
- Check and clean air filters regularly – How often you should do this varies from home to home, but as a rule of thumb we recommend every 3 months. An easy way to remember is to clean them every change in season.
- Check for possible obstructions – Ensure there isn’t anything blocking the air flow of both your indoor and outdoor units. Airflow is key for air conditioners to work effectively.
- Check if the power supply to the system is turned on – All air conditioners require an isolation switch at the outdoor unit for safety, however it also make it easy for curious little fingers to flick a switch and cause your air conditioner to stop working.
- Check your circuit breakers. If you find the circuit breaker off there may be a more serious issue.
- Check the settings – It may sound too simple but it happens more often than you’d think. The basic to remember is: That the snowflake is cooling mode and the sun is heating mode. All other symbols are unique to their brand and will require you read your owner’s manual to understand however they generally are simple.
When do I need professional air conditioning repairs?
If you’ve gone through the above checks and the issue hasn’t been resolved, you may need to call us in for the fix.
- If your system turns on but only has its indication lights flashing.
The flashing is a fault code flashing in a sequence so that we can quickly determine the fault. Each brand and model will have its own fault codes. - If your air conditioner is leaking water or has a bad smell.
When your system is in cooling mode the moister in the air will condensate on the cold coil. It’s a very common issue for the drain pan to build up with dirt and other contaminates which can block the drain line and cause a bad smell or water to leak out of the indoor unit while it’s running. For this issue to be corrected you will need a professional to disassemble and clean the drain pan and drain line. - If you feel cold/warm air close to the system but the system doesn’t cool/heat the room
This is a very common issue. After years of use with poor maintenance the barrel fan can get a build-up of dirt and mould around the fan blades causing little to no air throw. You can easily check the condition of your fan blade by switching system power supply off and looking through the louvers with a torch. You will need a professional to disassemble and clean out the system. - If everything sounds like its working properly but system doesn’t heat or cool.
The most common cause is that the system has lost its refrigerant gas charge. This will require a refrigeration mechanic to pin point, repair the leak and recharge with refrigerant to manufactures specifications. - Loud humming coming from outdoor unit
There’s two main causes of this. Either you have a faulty start/run capacitor which can easily be resolved by a licenced trades person. The other reason is a lot more serious. The compressor which pumps the refrigerant through the system is mechanically seized. Its often more cost effective to replace the entire system rather than repair. Its important to ask the trades-person on the best option.
How do I fix my air-conditioner myself?
If you have done all of the recommended checks and are noticing any of the issues listed above, it is important that you get in contact with a trained professional. There are a lot of hazards within cooling systems which can resolve in injury or death if a qualified trades person is not used.
At Arctic Refrigeration Kyabram, all of our staff are trained to carry out all of your air-conditioning maintenance and repair needs. If you require assistance with your split systems, get in touch with us here at Arctic Refrigeration, where we offer exceptional service across Kyabram, Echuca, Rochester, Tatura, Tongala, Shepparton and rural Victoria.