Air Conditioning Repair Tips for Los Angeles Residents
Fifty Percent Rule
If Your Air Conditioner Does Not Blow Cool Air Air conditioners are generally ignored in the home. You turn them on when you are warm and off when you are cold, and they are just working by thermostat settings or manual on/offs. If you haven't paid attention to your a/c unit for a while, the unit might result in a malfunction. This leads to an air conditioner that is not blowing cold air, which could be caused by any one of several issues.
A central air conditioning unit that runs but does not blow cool air may simply need some cleaning or freon is too low. Plan to do this on a relatively warm day. First look for your owner's manual and, if you can find it, follow its instructions. If you can't find it, request the manual from the manufacturer or download it from the manufacturer's website.
Warning: Before doing any work on an air conditioning system, make sure the power to the system, both to the condenser and to the evaporator assembly, is turned off.
Before doing any work with the unit, turn off the power to the unit. There is usually a shut-off or disconnect panel on the building wall close to the outdoor compressor. Otherwise, shut off the 240-volt circuit at the main electrical panel.
Check for Blocked Air Flow
1. Remove leaves, rocks, and debris away from the outdoor condenser.
2. Remove any protective cover from the unit. |
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In some circumstances the lack of air flow itself can cause the deep freeze and cool air issues. Air conditioners are set up to work with all the vents that are installed. When air flow is hindered due to closed vents or blocked air intake filters, the unit cannot move the cold air through the system fast enough. The cold air trapped in the unit freezes the unit. The part of the unit that is outside the home can get blocked by vegetation or dust
3. Use pressured/canned air, pressure washer, or a soft brush to clean dirt and debris from the condenser fins, you can also vacuum them with a brush attachment. Make sure you do not bend or damage fins.
4. The blower motor can sometimes burn out, creating a lack of air flow. If this happens, it has to be replaced. The blower is essential for moving the cool air through the ducts. Unscrew and lift the top grille off the unit, if possible. If the fan is attached to the grille, be careful not to pull any wires loose.
5. Inside the unit Use pressured/canned air, pressure washer, or a soft brush to clean dirt and debris from the condenser fins.
Test the unit. Tturn the unit power on and start the AC by setting thermostat to cold. Let it run for a few minutes, then feel the two pipes that connect to the condenser unit. One pipe should be warm, the second one should be cool. If it is not like that, Call us at 1 - 800 - 434 - 9277. Freon needs to be checked and may need to be recharged.
My central air conditioner will not come on, what do i do?
1. Check to make sure the breakers for both the ac and the furnace are not tripped. The furnace fan motor needs to run with the outside condensing unit. Also look for a fused pullout or breaker box next to the outside unit. Sounds like lack of power to furnace or both.
2. Check to make sure the thermostat is set to "cool" and the temperature on the thermostat reads below room temperature.
3. Go outside and see if there is a shutoff box. It would be a box between the outside unit and the house on the electrical line. Open this up and make sure that the shut-off is intact. If you are missing the plug, it won't work.
4. If the breaker, fuses, and disconnect are ok, open the condensing unit and verify that the main supply voltage to the unit is correct. If it isn't, find out why and correct it.
5. Turn off the the air conditioner power and check the thermostat.
6. If you verify that the thermostat is working correctly, turn it on to cool, and check the voltage reading at the compressor contactor. This should be done by AC professionals, if you can do it yourself, that is great. If you have control voltage at the compressor contactor coil, but the contactor does not energize, your central air conditioning condenser problem is a failed contactor.
Thermostats are usually connected with 24 AWG solid copper wire. It is susceptible to metal fatigue and breakage, so there is a possibility that the wiring between the thermostat and the transformer or the furnace is bad.
7. first step in troubleshooting the device would be to check the supply voltage. If you don't have a small multimeter handy, you can pick one up at Radio Shack or Home Depot, similar to the one shown below. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a digital MM for this kind of work. The thermostat runs on 24 VAC, and you want to make sure you have that at the thermostat before you try anything else.
The wire marked R or V, which should be red, should have 24V potential to the black ground wire, which may be marked C, if you have it. 24 V is not a hazardous voltage, so don't worry about touching the wires. It should also read voltage to the wire marked G, which should be green. That's the override for the fan to make it run all the time.
The wire marked W controls the heat. It should be colored white. The wire marked Y controls the A/C. It should be colored yellow. If you short circuit the R wire to the G wire, the fan should turn on. If you have voltage on R, you can short circuit it to either the W or Y wires and see if the heat or A/C turn on. If all of the systems work when you bypass the thermostat, then the wiring is good, and the problem is in the thermostat or the settings for it. In that case, you'd want to Call us at 1 - 800 - 434 - 9277
When to Replace your Air Conditioner and Furnace
To repair or replace, that is the question that likely comes to mind whenever your heating or cooling system stops working like it should. Although repairing may be the most affordable solution now, it might not be the best choice over the long run.
Water Next to the Air Conditioner
Air conditioners create condensation (water), which usually exits the unit through a drain tube. This water should go into a drain or a small drain pump can be used to get the condensate out. If water is pooling at the base of the unit, something may be blocking its way out, a drain tube may be leaking, or the drain pump may not be working.
- Check if one of the tubes (usually plastic) connected to the unit is leaking. If it is leaking, it has to be replaced.
- Check the space around the unit and see where the water is coming from. Also, check the unit itself.
- If you have a drain pump, test the pump by pouring some water into its pan and see if the pump starts. If the pump doesn't start, either it is disconnected from the power source, or it is broken.
- If the pump is broken, replace it or contact us to replace it. If a tube is leaking, see if you can find the leak and seal it or contact us and we will be happy to help you.
- If you cannot perform above steps or you're not sure of what you're doing, call us at 1 - 800 - 434 - 9277.
I Have a Squealing Sound Coming from Air Handler. What do I do?
When the belt that connects the motor to the fan slips, some squealing sounds from a the air handler occur. If the blower is making a grinding noise, shut off the unit and call us to have a repair technician come out and check the motor's bearings, because they are probably shot. In most cases, the belt is improperly aligned or worn and needs replacement.
It is recommended that in this case you have a professional to handle this problem. It involves removing the access panel, loosening bolts that hold the blower motor at the proper tension, and adjusting or aligning the belt. In many cases, we suggest replacement of the belt, which can be found at most hardware stores.
Vibration Isolators
A duct system often begins at an air handler. The blowers in the air handlers can create substantial vibration and the large area of the duct system would transmit this noise and vibration to the inhabitants of the building. To avoid this, vibration isolators (flexible sections) are normally inserted into the duct immediately before and after the air handler. The rubberized canvas-like material of these sections allow the air handler to vibrate without transmitting much vibration to the attached ducts.
Noisy Air Ducts
The airflow tubes made of sheet metal that carry warm and cool air to vent can be a big distraction. If someone trying to sleep, work, watch TV or even carry on a phone or in person conversation and the noise is interfering, it's time to implement a buffering strategy.
Many heating / cooling ducts are metal, so they conduct noise quite readily from the air-handling unit to your rooms. To break the conduction of sound, you can have our technician insert flexible insulation ductwork between the heating / cooling system and the ductwork runs. This is when it's time to call a professional air conditioning technician. Call us at 1 - 800 - 434 - 9277.
If you hear a pinging or popping sound coming from the ductwork, this may be caused by thermal expansion or by air blowing past a loose flap of metal. Track along the duct runs, listening for the sound. If you find it, make a small dent in the sheet metal to provide a more rigid surface that's less likely to move as it heats and cools.
Most straight ductwork naturally attenuates noise. Acoustic lining increases noise attenuation. Fittings such as elbows, dampers, branch take offs, grilles, registers, diffusers, air-handling light fixtures, and variable inlet vanes either create or attenuate noise, depending on their geometry and air velocity. Higher air velocity in fittings creates higher noise levels.
If necessary, duct noise can be reduced by using attenuators.
Air is Leaking from Air Ducts
Duct Sealing is the sealing of leaks in air ducts in order to reduce air leakage, optimize efficiency, and control entry of pollutants into the home or building. Air pressure combined with air duct leakage can lead to a loss of energy in a HVAC system and duct sealing solves issues of energy loss in the system.
Duct tape is not used for sealing ducts. Building codes call for special fire-resistant tapes, often with foil backings and long lasting adhesives.
Signs of leaky or poorly performing air ducts include:
- Utility bills in winter and summer months above average relative to rate fluctuation
- Spaces or rooms that are difficult to heat or cool
- Duct location in an attic, attached garage, leaky floor cavity, crawl space or unheated basement.
Even if needed repair costs aren’t quite as daunting as 50%, you might want to replace your system if it’s more than 12 years old or you’ve had a history of problems with it. Also, it might be worthwhile to take advantage of one of several opportunities:
- Convenience – When you purchase a new system, you can avoid the hassle of unexpected repairs down the line, and you don’t have to sit around uncomfortable while waiting for parts.
- Lower utility bills – A high-efficiency home comfort system from Lennox can save you hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs, compared to an older system.
- Energy tax credits – You can recover up to 30% of the cost of select high-efficiency systems in the form of tax credits.
- Friendlier refrigerant – Due to growing environmental concerns, the U.S. federal government has mandated that all HVAC manufacturers phase R-22 refrigerant-based equipment out of production. In response, Lennox now mainly manufactures cooling systems with R-410A, a U.S. EPA-approved, chlorine-free refrigerant.
- Enhanced comfort – Advanced technologies that improve energy efficiency also enhance your comfort, so you can enjoy more even temperatures, better humidity control and a constant flow of conditioned air.
- Improved air quality – Better humidity control means a reduced potential for mold and mildew growth. Lennox home comfort systems are also available with Healthy Climate® filtration, which minimizes the impact of indoor pollutants.
