You come inside all hot and sweaty after doing yard work, and crank up the A/C a few notches to get it to kick on. You lean over a vent and feel a blast of….HOT air? Before you run to the phone to call us and schedule an emergency appointment, there are a few easy things that you can check on your own that just might fix the problem.
- Check your thermostat to see if it somehow got switched to heat mode. It might sound silly, but it’s worth double checking before you have a technician come out to the house for a service call, right?
- Shut down the A/C system and remove your filter. If the filter has a heavy accumulation of dust and dirt, the restricted air flow may cause the unit to stop working properly. Replace the filter if needed.
- Do you see ice on your condenser coil? If the answer is yes, make sure the system is turned off, and call for an appointment.
- Go outdoors and take a look at the air conditioning unit (condenser). Are there landscape plants within 12” of the condenser that are restricting airflow? Trim them back to let your air conditioner unit breathe. Do you see dirt, cottonwood seeds, weeds, or other debris that might be clogging the condenser? If so, shut down the air conditioner and hose the condenser down thoroughly to remove everything that is stuck on the unit. If the debris is really caked on and can’t be rinsed off using just the spray from a garden hose, there are special foaming coil cleaners you can purchase.
If none of these tips does the trick, or you notice a loud humming or rattling noise when the system is on, it’s probably time to call in a professional to get to the root of the problem. For emergency service in Hamilton or Marion County in Indiana, you can call Star Heating and Cooling 24/7 at 317-753-0279—we’ll have you cooled off again in no time.