Home Repair Diy
AC Repair – DIY Or Call A Pro For The Job?
When the air conditioner stops working, many homeowners wonder if they should call in a service technician to perform the AC repair. If they’re fairly handy around the House or are on a tight budget, they may want to try to tackle the reparation by themselves. There are a few things to try initially to see if it’s something within a DIYer’s capabilities. If it’s out of their league, tinkering around with it may do more harm than good. Here are some things to think about:
- Return vent: An air conditioning return vent is where the filters are placed. If the filter is dirty, this may be the problem. Filters should be changed monthly even if they don’t look dirty. The debris is often stored inside the soft batting material of the filter.
- Condenser coils: The unit sitting outside your house has condenser coils that may be dirty. These can be sprayed with an ordinary garden hose.
- Uneven pad: The cement pad where the outside portion of the HVAC sits must be level, smooth and poured from approximately 3 to 4 inches of solid cement. The ground below the pad must be rock solid and not shifting in any way. If there have been recent storms and dirt has washed away from the yard, this may have caused terrain erosion which has resulted in an uneven pad. It can be shimmed up, hopefully, or the pad will have to be re-poured on a more solid foundation.
- Thermostat not working: Sometimes the AC unit is functioning but the thermostat has broken down. This can be tested by turning the thermostat to higher and lower temperatures and seeing if it’s sending the proper message to the air conditioning system. If it’s not, a new thermostat can be purchased at the local hardware store and may solve the problem.
- Ductwork blocked: The homeowner should walk around each room while the system is running to see if there is cool air blowing out freely from the vents. If not, it’s important to make sure all ventilation openings are set at the open position. If they are open but there’s still not adequate airflow, it’s time to check the ductwork. Crawling around in the attic will allow the DIYer to see if the ductwork has come disconnected, loosened or blocked. Sometimes it’s as simple as a crimped air duct line.
- Iced up system: The DIYer should check the copper coils running to the outside appliance to see if there’s ice on them. If so, the system has a frost block and has shut itself off. If so, the HVAC unit must be turned off to let it thaw out for a couple of hours. This frost occurs when the unit has been turned up way too high for a long period of time.
If a homeowner tries all of these tactics and their air conditioner still won’t work, it’s time to call in the professional AC repair tech. If it’s a very old unit, it may have finally died and a newer, more energy efficient appliance is in your future.
When it comes to AC repair Oxnard technicians that are capable, compassionate and experienced are closer, more affordable and even more efficient than you think. Check out more information at http://www.kaiserac.com/.
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