It’s not your imagination. Studies show that summer days are getting hotter and hotter as the years pass by. Nowadays, it’s more likely for us to experience “extremely hot” summer days than it is for us to experience cool summer days. Unfortunately, it seems like this trend is not going to go down and summer months are going to continue to get hotter and hotter throughout the years.
As summer months continue to get hotter and hotter, many more homeowners are turning on their air conditioning system. Fans and ice cream simply don’t cut it any more. Many homeowners are starting to notice a decline in their air conditioner’s capabilities. While their air conditioner may have blown cool air continuously in the past, now it may be barely chugging by.
If this is the case, you’ll want to call a heating and air conditioning repair company, like Blue Ox Heating & Air, to take a look at your HVAC system. We service cities in the St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN area.
Something is wrong. If you are able to catch the problem early on, you’ll likely be faced with only small repair costs. However, if you wait, the problem could worsen and your air conditioning unit could fail completely. This article will take a look at the 6 reasons why your air conditioning may not be blowing cool air anymore.
#1. There’s Something Wrong with the Air Filter
One of the most common causes of an air conditioner that isn’t blowing cool air is a clogged air filter. If your air filter is clogged, you will not get adequate air flow from the unit. This means that you’re going to need to call a heating and air conditioning repair company to come take a look at your air filter and see whether it needs to be cleaned or replaced.
Your air conditioner will use a fan to draw air over the evaporator coils. This is how warm air gets cooled. This cooled air is then re-circulated back into your room. If the air filter is clogged, the air will not get cooled. In general, most experts recommend cleaning your air filters every 1 to 3 months. It all depends on the area that you live in and the amount of particles that are in the air.
If your air conditioners are super dirty and old, our technicians may recommend that you change them. You may need to change your air filters every several months or every several years. It all depends on the amount of environmental pollutants that are in the air, as well as how often you maintain and care for the filters.
Choosing a New Air Filter
If your air filter is completely trashed, our licensed technicians may recommend that you replace it instead of fix it or clean it. If this is the case, then you’ll want to consider the type of air filter that is a best fit for your home. Licensed technicians from a heating and air conditioning repair company in Minneapolis, MN can help you make a decision.
The most important thing to consider when choosing an air filter is the filter’s minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating. This will tell you what types of abilities that the air filter may have. You’ll usually get a score between 1 and 20. The higher the MERV rating, the worse that the air filter will be at capturing small particles. Most heating and air conditioning repair companies recommend getting a filter with a MERV rating of at least a 7.
Other than the MERV rating, you also need to consider the type of filter that will work best for your home. Some of the most common and popular types of air filters include:
- Electrostatic air filters. These types of air filters are quite cool. They rely on self-charging paper fibers to reduce the amount of airborne irritants and pollutants that are in your home.
- Fiberglass air filters. These air filters are some of the more economical options out there. They’re usually able to capture about 20% of environmental pollutants that are anywhere from 3 to 10 microns large. While these filters are extremely economica, they are not the most effective. As a result, they do need to be replaced more often.
- High-efficiency air filters. These filters are considered to be the most effective filters out there. They’re highly recommended by heating and air conditioning repair companies that focus on quality. These air filters are able to filter out about 95% of all particles that are between 3 and 10 microns in size. These are some of the best options for those who have allergies.
- Pleated air filters. These air filters tend to be quite a bit more expensive, but they’re worth it. These filters are made from polyester or cotton paper and are usually able to filter out anywhere from 70 to 90% of the pollutants and dust in your home.
If you’re not sure what option to choose, ask the heating and air conditioning repair company for some recommendations. Our licensed technicians will be happy to walk you through the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
#2. It’s the Fan and/or the Fan Motor
When you turn on the air conditioning, do you hear the fan or the fan motor move? If you don’t, then you may have found your problem. If the circulating fan is not running or even running too slow, you may notice that airflow is restricted.
If you don’t hear the fan or the fan motor running or if you think it’s running too slowly, you have two options. You can either call a heating and air conditioning repair company or you can try to check out the problem yourself. It’s important to note that the fan and the motor are located inside the air conditioning unit, so you’ll need to remove the cabinet in order to perform any checks. If you don’t have any experience in removing the cabinet or assembling an air conditioning unit, it may be best to leave it to a professional and call a heating and air conditioning repair company instead.
The goal is to check whether the fan motor is turning easily or not. If not, it may need to be cleaned. Dirt, dust and other particles can get trapped at the joints and cause it to “harden up”. You will also want to check to see if the blades are damaged. If the blades are damaged, they will not be able to circulate air as efficiently. This type of heating and air conditioning repair will involve the use of a multimeter, so if you haven’t used this type of tool before, leave it to the professionals!
#3. Check the Temperature Controls
Another air conditioning part that may be causing a problem is the temperature controls or the thermostat. This part is responsible for not only monitoring the temperature of the incoming air but also turning the compressor on or off as a response. It’s a sensor that will regulate the temperature of the air inside your home. If this regulator is faulty, it can affect the temperature inside your home.
Our licensed technicians will need to take apart your air conditioning unit in order to get a good look at the thermostat. We’ll need to see whether the thermostat is set to an appropriate temperature and whether or not it is defective. One of the most common issues is a damaged bulb.
#4. The Electronic Control Board or PCB Assembly Is Defective
If all of the parts above are working properly, then the next part that a heating and air conditioning repair technician will check is the electronic control board or the PCB assembly. The control board works with the thermistor to monitor the temperature of the incoming air. It is also responsible for turning the compressor on or off. If the control board is faulty or defective, it will not send any power to the compressor. As a result, your air conditioner won’t work.
You can tell if the PCB assembly or electronic control board isn’t working if there are parts of your AC that are overheating. Another sign that the electronic control board is malfunctioning is if certain settings are working while others aren’t. Or, certain settings may only work intermittently. Usually, a heating and air conditioning repair company will take a look at your air conditioning unit while it’s on and while it’s off. This will give them a good idea of what might be working and what might be faulty. It’ll help them catch the culprit.
If you suspect that there’s something wrong with the electronic control board, you’ll also want to take a look at the thermistor. There’s a chance that the thermistor is the part that’s the problem. Unfortunately, if you don’t check the thermistor, this part may hide behind the electronic control board. If this happens, you won’t fix the problem even if you replace the electronic control board. Keep in mind that the replacement cost of an electronic control board is fairly high.
#5. Look at the Capacitor
Last but not least, our heating and air conditioning repair technicians would recommend checking out the capacitor. The capacitor is also another part that you’ll find inside the air conditioning unit, which is why this is usually something that a heating and air conditioning repair technician will look at. Most homeowners simply don’t have the experience or the tools needed to get to the capacitor.
The capacitor is a fairly small cylindrical part that is responsible for supplying electrical energy to the air conditioning unit. This small part will also store electrical energy as well. It basically works in the same way as a rechargeable battery. A heating and air conditioning repair technician will want to check for visible signs of damage. This may include something like rust or dents. If there’s no visible signs of damage, the technician will need to check the functionality of the part using special test equipment that most homeowners simply don’t have lying around.
Good capacitors can become faulty for many reasons. Some of the most common reasons include age, heat exposure and voltage rating. If the capacitor is indeed faulty, you’ll need to replace it with a new one. Depending on the age of your air conditioning unit, you may need to get a new model or type of capacitor. It’s important that the replacement has the same specifications as the original part. Blue Ox Heating & Air only uses high quality products and parts for their replacements and repairs.
Give Us a Call for Heating and Air Conditioning Repair Services
If you’re looking for HVAC services in Minneapolis, MN, give Blue Ox Heating & Air a call. Founded in 2013, our company has a combined 100 years of collective experience between 3 families. We are able to offer affordable heating and air conditioning repair services to those in the St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN area. You can schedule a service with us anytime, as we even offer emergency HVAC systems.
We promise to value your comfort and happiness. Our licensed heating and air conditioning repair technicians will treat your home like it is theirs and will always be punctual, polite and professional. They’re also drug-tested and background-checked. When in your home, we wear shoe covers to ensure that we don’t trek in any messes from the outdoors. Most importantly, we only use quality heating and cooling products and we never cut any corners. We take pride in our work and will offer a guarantee on any work that we’ve done.
What are you waiting for? Give us a call at 952-213-3956 if you need any heating and air conditioning repair services. You can also contact us online! We’ll get back to you right away.
