Air Conditioner Unit Checklist
This week marks the end of the school year for several schools in Northern Virginia. Soon the house will be filled with new energy as children run rampant with energy that only summer can provide. As your home takes on “extra mileage” this summer, chances are that your air conditioner will also.
If for some reason your AC unit doesn’t seem to be functioning properly, we have put together a checklist to ensure that you aren’t requesting service that you don’t really need. We want to help you and your family save money this summer on all of your air conditioning needs!
Air Conditioning Equipment Checklist
- Check to make sure that your thermostat is set in the “cool” position.
- Ensure that your outdoor air conditioning (condensing unit) is running:
Check the circuit breakers in the circuit breaker box (or electrical panel), most likely mounted to an outside wall in the back of the house. Are they in the “On” position?
Check the outdoor unit “disconnect switch” to make sure it is in the “ON” position. The disconnect switch is located near the outdoor air conditioner unit. (Typically a grey 8″ wide x 16″ high x 4″ deep box mounted to the wall).
- Ensure that the blower motor in your furnace is running. (If the thermostat is in the “cool” position, the furnace blower should be running.)
If not, check to make sure the on / off switch at the furnace is in the “ON” position
- Be sure that you have changed your filter in the furnace recently.
An extremely blocked filter can cause your outdoor air conditioner unit to shut down due to lack of proper airflow.
Your filter should be changed every month.
- Check all return air grilles to make sure they are not blocked by furniture.
Check all supply air registers to make sure they are open and blowing air. (The return air grilles are normally located on your walls and are wide and flat).
