Dealing With Common AC Problems Experienced at Home

Your residential air conditioner requires the smooth functioning of all its parts to distribute cooled air throughout the home. If one or more of the air conditioner components are damaged or worn out, the performance of the entire system may decline, resulting in increased indoor temperatures, which can reduce your thermal comfort in summer. 

Here are some common causes of AC malfunction and how they can be addressed.

Blown Fuses

Like other major home appliances, your air conditioner uses fuses for protection against excessive amperage. These fuses are designed to blow if more amperage than they are rated for passes through them.

Blown fuses stop the flow of current through your air conditioning unit, protecting the internal components from overheating. The biggest culprit behind a blown fuse is something drawing too much power from the circuit that your air conditioner is connected to.

To fix the issue, you should unplug appliances, turn the power off, identify and replace the blown fuse, and then test your new setup. If the fuses keep blowing, the problem might be beyond your capabilities.

Tripping Circuit Breakers

While fuses blow, circuit breakers trip when there's an electrical fault that could cause damage to the circuit and the appliances connected to it. Circuit overloads, short circuits, and ground faults are some likely reasons why circuit breakers may trip.

If you experience this problem with your air conditioner, it's important to identify the root cause of the problem and then take the appropriate remedial action. For instance, circuit overloads indicate that you may have plugged in too many appliances and simply need to unplug some. 

Refrigerant Leaks

Your air conditioner cools your house by changing the pressure and state of the working fluid (called refrigerant) whenever it absorbs heat or releases it to the outside. 

Refrigerant is contained in the coils of your air conditioner (the evaporator coils and the condenser coils). If your AC coils are cracked or damaged, they can cause the refrigerant to escape. When this happens, your AC system won't perform at its peak, resulting in reduced cooling output. 

AC refrigerant leak repairs involve detecting leak spots, sealing them, and then adding more refrigerant to the unit.

Other common issues with residential air conditioners include dirty air filters, frozen evaporator coils, dirty condenser coils, and clogged condensate drain lines. Each AC problem requires a unique approach to repair correctly. If you need AC repairs for your home, get in touch with a local HVAC contractor.