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Top 10 costliest homeowner repairs
Learn how to avoid problems
through simple preventative maintenance. |
Air Conditioning Troubleshooting
No air conditioning,
no cold air
Before calling make sure of the following:
- Thermostat is set
on Cool and turned on. Next if electronic, are batteries
charged? Is there a display showing? Set temperature three degrees
or higher than current room setting.
- Power supply. Your furnace should have an Emergency Power Off Switch? Make sure
it’s on. Breaker box check. If a furnace or a/c breaker is tripped
it will be between ON and OFF. Reset the breaker by turning OFF,
then ON.
- Fuse box, check to see if the fuse for the furnace and a/c is
blown. If so, replace it with the SAME SIZE fuse. Do not increase
the size of the fuse. WARNING: If a breaker is tripping or a fuse blowing, call a
qualified PDM technician to inspect your system and diagnose why you
are having problems.
- Dirty air filter
can cost you more than you think. This can cause serious problems. Clogged filter reduces air flow
stressing motor and compressor. All air filters have a certain amount
of airflow resistance. Add dust building up on the filter and
eventually it begins to block airflow and requires more energy to
operate. Reduced air flow also stresses other components that can be
costly to repair.
- Outdoor and
indoor units are running, not cooling. Partial list of
possible causes. Low refrigerant charge. Poor efficiency- needs
cleaning and servicing. Bad reversing valve. Bad compressor
If you still have no air conditioning call PDM for help.
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less fuel maybe 80% of the time?
Learn more about new "hybrid" HVAC equipment.
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Uneven cooling
If some rooms are too cool and others too warm,
duct system needs balancing. You may want to add a zoning system
that allows different rooms to have their own thermostat. Learn more
about PDM Zoning help - click here
A/C runs but doesn’t cool
Is the
filter clogged? A dirty filter can dramatically reduce airflow,
cause breakdown and increase utility costs. A
blower that has dirt caked on its blades will also have the same
effect.
Another possibility is
you are low on refrigerant.
A/C cycles too often
Could be condenser unit's airflow, dirty
air filter or furnace blower problem. Defective thermostat is also a
possibility.
Outdoor unit won't
come on
Possible causes: Thermostat problem. Contactor or
time-delay relay needs replacing. Maybe a safety device issue with
low pressure, high pressure or high temperature. Call PDM for help.
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A/C freezing up - possible causes
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A/C freezing up generally has to do with poor air flow. You may find
the problem is simply due to a dirty filter. Replace or clean your
ac filter. You can help the thawing process by turning the ac system
off and turning on the fan for a while.
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May be a Low refrigerant
charge or leak in the ac
refrigerant lines due to age or poor welds
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Evaporator coil is dirty causing a gradual loss in
airflow.
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Blower motor may not run at the proper speed or be
intermittent, starting at full speed and slowing down after it heats
up.
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Fan Relay- may start
one time and not the next.
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Other possible causes --
Blocked metering device like capillary tube which controls the flow
of refrigerant or expansion valve that senses the temperature of the
evaporator, or coil.
Liquid line problems - too long or bad drier which keeps refrigerant
clean.
Even running when the outdoor temperature is too low, below 65°F or Indoor Temperature too low, below 72°F
can cause freezing. Call PDM for guaranteed
help.
A PDM peak performance ac maintenance plan would inspect these
components and hopefully catch a weak part before it fails. Have
your ac system inspected annually to help prevent unneeded and
costly repairs.
Air conditioning emergency
shut down
- Turn OFF thermostat - Set at 90 Degrees
- Turn OFF outdoor unit electric at breaker panel
- Turn OFF furnace electric at breaker/fuse panel
- Call PDM Since 1885 for
fast, friendly service
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