Central air conditioners are designed to keep your home cool based on your desired temperature. The coolant in any air conditioner should last the lifetime of the unit, but it becomes weak due to wear and tear, contaminants, accidental damage and other issues. In these cases, your central air conditioner needs charged of coolant after the problems are fixed. Finding out the problem beforehand, however, can help you avoid adding coolant to your air conditioner if it actually doesn’t need it.
Checking Thermostat
If you suspect that your air conditioner may have lost its charge of coolant, the first part to check is the thermostat. In addition, sometimes the air conditioner only needs a reset to set off the electronic elements of the system. To start, set the unit’s thermostat to about 85 degrees and wait for at least 30 minutes, then reduce it to around 60 degrees and wait for the AC unit to kick on. If your house begins to cool, it was merely a reset. You may also reset the AC unit directly at the source or flip the beaker to the unit. Also, remove the plate cover of the thermostat unit to see if any of the components within are sticking because of dust or humidity buildup.
The Vents
If the ventilators are generating warm air instead of cold air after you reset the unit and clean the thermostat, this is an indication that the coolant might be out of charge. However, give the unit at least ten minutes as it might be residual air coming out of the vent system. If the air is still warm, you may need the help of a professional technician to charge the coolant.
Frost Buildup
The coolant used in AC units is a gaseous element that freezes anything it comes into contact with. Leakages are easily spotted as there will be frost that builds up around connectors, such as where the coolant tank connects to the AC unit. The frost buildup can also be spotted on the surrounding tubes, hoses, fan motors and beyond. If you have already reset your air conditioner, cleaned the thermostat and verified that it is still generating warm air, there might be a leak and there’s no more coolant in the system. Frozen components are indication that there’s a leak in the system and the coolant is escaping rather than cooling the air.
Inspection
Central air conditioners need to be checked and cleaned regularly to keep debris and dirt from building up within the system. An air conditioner has a filter, but the filter can become clogged over time. Also, outdoor AC units can have the covering panels come loose because of strong wind during a storm, which will blow debris into the AC unit. This causes the fans to malfunction, thus resulting in no air being pushed through the vents, or it can block the air filter and lower the air flow, which will reduce the cooling effect the AC unit has on your home. Thus, before you blame the coolant system, be sure to check first your system for debris and dirt and give everything a good cleaning. If your AC unit does not generate cold air after that, you need to call a professional technician to recharge the system. Don’t attempt to charge the unit all by yourself. A specialist can quickly make your central air conditioner Freon charged and the unit will surely be functional again in a just a few minutes.