You may feel frustrated and a little worried when your air conditioner stops working. You may not know much about the equipment and wonder what's wrong and how much it will cost to fix. It's usually not a good idea to run your air conditioner if it isn't working right, so call an air conditioning repair service for help. Here are some things you can check yourself and a brief look at things that could be wrong.

What To Check Before Calling For AC Repairs

Check your filter first since a clogged filter can cause your AC to malfunction or shut down completely. If the filter is coated with dust, put a new one in and see if your AC returns to normal. Another thing to check is your electrical panel. If the circuit breaker flipped off, turn it back on and wait to see what happens.

If the breaker flips off again, that could signal a problem with the electrical system, so it's best to leave your AC off until a repair person can check it. You might also check that the batteries in the thermostat are still good, and replace them if needed. If these simple checks don't fix the problem, call an air conditioning repair service.

What Can Go Wrong With Your AC

Sometimes, problems are fairly minor, such as a bad fuse or a bad capacitor. These parts are fairly inexpensive and easy to change out with new parts. Other times, the problem might require an expensive repair. This is especially the case when the compressor goes bad.

The first step is for the air conditioning repair technician to troubleshoot the parts to find the bad part so it can be repaired or replaced. They may need to check the thermostat, ducts, condensation drain system, condenser, refrigerant system, and air handler.

What Air Conditioning Repairs Are Common

Common air conditioner repairs include replacing a blower motor in the air handler. When the motor goes bad, the air won't circulate through your house even when the AC runs, so this is a problem that needs to be fixed right away.

Another fairly common problem is a leak in the refrigerant coil. The Refrigerant should stay steady, so if it drops, that means it's leaking out somewhere. The contractor has to find the leak, plug it, and fill the refrigerant again. Another type of leak is a duct leak. When a duct has a rip or hole in it, cool air escapes into your attic rather than blow out of the registers. The repair technician can use duct tape or mastic to seal a hole in a duct.

Thermostat problems are also common. These might occur if dust is inside the thermostat or if the thermostat is old and worn out. The repair technician can tighten the wiring and clean the thermostat, but if it's old, it may be time to replace it.

Contact an air conditioning repair service near you to learn more.