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Air Conditioner Troubleshooting & Repair
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR AIR CONDITIONER? |
| It doesn't turn on at
all The fan runs but there's no cold air The air is cool but doesn't seem cold enough The unit never turns off There is water sloshing around inside The unit try's to start for a few seconds and then quits A motor is running but there is no air blowing The unit rattles loudly when it turns off Water leaks out the front of the unit The air smells musty Learn more about air conditioners Air conditioner parts |
| Note: If your repair problem isn't listed, click
here to email the RepairGuru. He will give you the help you need. |
| Check to see if there is power getting to
the air conditioner. If it is a 110-volt unit, plug a lamp or other
device into the same outlet the air conditioner is plugged into. If
there's no power, check the fuses or circuit breakers. If there's
still no power, you will need to contact a qualified electrician to
restore power to the outlet. If there is power to the appliance but it is still completely dead there may be a problem in one or more of the following areas:
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Is the air conditioner completely dead? See
section 1. Is the thermostat knob turned to the proper setting? Is
the compressor motor running? The compressor is a football-sized case
with no apparent moving parts. It is located inside the air conditioner
at the center. Is it humming or making any kind of continuous noise
or causing the lights to dim? If it is making a continuous noise,
and your air conditioner is still not cooling at all, there may be
a serious problem with one or more of these areas:
If the compressor is not running but you do have power to the air conditioner there may be a problem in one or more of these areas:
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If the air doesn't seem cool enough it is
necessary to use a thermometer to check the difference in temperature
between the air going into the unit and the air being blown into the
room. Ideally, the temperature difference should be more than 15 degrees.
For example, if the temperature going into the air conditioner is
80 degrees, the temperature coming out of the unit should be at least
65 degrees or less. If the difference is 15 degrees or more there
is probably no cause for concern. If the temperature difference is
less than 15 degrees you should check the following:
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| This is normal on some models when fan is
set to run constantly. If the unit is supposed to turn off and it doesn't, it will be necessary to check several things.
If the room is heavily shaded, reduce needed capacity by 10% If the room receives a lot of direct sun, increase needed capacity by 10% Add 600 Btu/Hr for each person in the room if there are more than two people If the unit is for a kitchen, increase the capacity by 4,000-6,000 Btu/Hr. If the room size is too big for the air conditioner you have two possible choices. Either decrease the room size by shutting some doors or partitioning off an area of the room. Or, increase the BTU of the air conditioner for that room by installing a different air conditioner with a higher BTU rating. |
| All window air conditioners will remove moisture
from the air if there is any. Most window air conditioners collect
this moisture in the bottom pan of the air conditioner and attempt
to evaporate the moisture. The evaporation process works as follows:
First, the water drips down off of the cold evaporator coils on the
front of the unit. Then the water collects in the bottom of the air
conditioner base, the "pan." If the air conditioner is installed properly
it will be tilted slightly back. The water then collects near the back of the unit. On some units, the fan blade used to cool the rear condensing coils will have a rim on the outside of the fins of the blade. This rim, or "slinger," will come close to touching the inside of the air conditioner pan when the fan is spinning. As the water collects in the pan and reaches the depth necessary for the fan ring to touch it, the ring will lift some of the water up and the fan will blow it at the condensing coils. Because the coils are warm, they will evaporate the moisture to the outside. While this is happening it is normal to hear water splashing and sloshing around. As long as there is no water leaking inside the room that is being cooled there is no cause for concern. Never drill into the bottom of and air conditioning unit to "let the water out." |
| Every air conditioner has a motor called a
compressor. The compressor provides the cooling capacity for the air
conditioner. If the compressor or its electrical controls are defective
the compressor may try to start, fail, and create an electrical overload.
If the unit does create an overload, every compressor circuit is also
equipped with an overload safety switch. The safety switch is designed
to protect the compressor from burning out. The safety switch will
cut the power to the compressor for a certain length of time and then
reset itself. When it resets it will allow the electricity to flow
to the compressor once again. If the compressor then starts, the unit
should function normally. If the compressor doesn't start when the
overload resets, the overload will again cut the electricity to the
compressor. This cycle will continue indefinitely. (Always allow three
to five minutes before restarting the compressor.) If this situation
is occurring, unplug the air conditioner and get help from a qualified
repair technician. This problem is often fatal to the air conditioner
because the cost of repair often exceeds the price of a new air conditioner. |
| Every air conditioner is equipped with at
least two motors, the compressor and the fan motor. It is possible
for the fan motor to be defective and the compressor to be running.
If this is the case the unit will appear to be running and may even
sound "normal" but no air is blowing out the front or back of the
unit. If, after removing the cover of the unit you discover the fan
blade is very stiff and difficult to rotate, the fan motor should
be replaced. If the fan blade turns freely the circuit powering the
fan motor will require electrical troubleshooting. It will be necessary
to have a qualified technician locate the cause of the problem, which
may be either a problem with the capacitor,
the selector switch or the motor itself. |
| The compressor in all window air conditioners
is a powerful motor. When it starts up - and especially when it shuts
off - the whole air conditioner can shake, sometimes loudly. Usually
there is nothing that can be done to correct this problem. However,
it is possible that the compressor mounting pads and brackets are
worn out or missing. If that is the case the pads and brackets can
sometimes be ordered and replaced. Be sure that the air conditioner is securely mounted in the window frame if the unit shakes at all. It is possible for the unit to shake free of the frame if not installed properly. |
| It is normal for water to collect in the lower
base of an air conditioner. See the section entitled: "There is water
sloshing around inside." If water leaks out the front it is usually
because the unit is tilted forward in the window frame. All air conditioners
should be installed so they tilt slightly back to allow for proper
removal of the condensation collected. |
| Air conditioners remove moisture from the
air. The water collects in the base of the unit. Under normal conditions
this water will be evaporated out of the unit. However, it is possible
for some water to sit stagnant in the base of the air conditioner
for extended periods of time. There is no easy way to prevent this
problem. The problem will be reduced if you carefully clean the base
of the inside of the air conditioner at least once a year. That will
keep any dirt, lint or dust from absorbing the water and allowing
mold and mildew to grow. Also, replace the filter behind or in the
front cover. |
Still haven't found, what you looking for here? We have more details on air conditioner repair for you to detect what's wrong with your home appliance. |
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