When your air conditioner starts acting up, you might want to think about making any necessary air conditioning repairs yourself. As we all know, calling an air conditioner repairman can be a tad expensive, and if possible, it would be nice to avoid having to spend all that extra money.
The AC unit is an important part of your total HVAC system. So if you’re up to the challenge, here are some of the best DIY tips to repair your air conditioning.
1. Power
First, check that the power cord is plugged in and then find out if the circuit breaker for the unit might have tripped. If it has, then flip the circuit breaker off and on. See if the air conditioner will work.
If it’s a case where the circuit breaker was tripped and it continues to trip, then you will have to call a professional electrician to find out why. No, do-it-yourself attempts here, please!
2. Clean Unit
Another thing you might want to try is to clean the outdoor unit. Use a soft brush to clean the grill slats, soap, and water to remove any dirt and grime that could be clogging it.
If you have bushes growing close to the unit, trim them away to aid in air circulation. Also, check the air return and the vents inside.
Be sure that all vents are open and if you haven’t replaced the filter in the air recently, it would be a good idea to do so now. Proper air circulation is very important, as a lack of air circulation can make the system freeze up.
3. Air Ducts
While searching for “air conditioner repairs”, check out the system’s air ducts. Have the unit running, and feel along the ducts for any air.
If you come across a breeze, that means you have a leak in the ductwork. You need to wrap the affected area with duct tape, beginning several inches to one side of the leak and then working your way across the leak to the other side.
4. Temperature
Test the temperature of the air which is coming out of the vents. If the air is cool, then you’ve completed all the repairs that were needed by increasing the air circulation and making the duct repairs.
If the air isn’t cool, then you could very well have a freon leak on your hands and in that case, you will need the services of a professional air conditioner repair company. This is because you will have to have the system recharged. EPA certification is required to get freon.
5. Freon
If you will be installing the freon yourself, then unscrew the panel on the outside of the unit. Make all the valves on the charging gauge are closed.
Connect the blue tube on the gauge to the freon tube in the system. The freon tube is the bigger of the tubes. Find the valve to connect it to. Then you attach the yellow gauge tube to the freon bottle.
Next, you need to open the system valve first, then the gauge valve for the blue tube. Finally, open the yellow tube valve and the freon. Keep an eye on the gauge. When the pressure reaches 70 psi all the valves should be turned off. Remove the tubes and close the panel.
Hopefully, you’ve found some useful DIY tips to repair your air conditioning system in your Louisville home.
