AC not cooling? Check these before you call

Check these first

Before you call, a few things knock out the most common reasons an AC stops cooling.

• Thermostat — set to cool, set below the room temperature. If the screen is blank, it may just need batteries.
• The filter — a filter that has not been changed in months can choke airflow badly enough to freeze the coil. Swap it and give the system an hour.
• The breaker — the outdoor unit has its own breaker. One reset is fine. If it trips again, stop and call.
• The disconnect — there is a pull-out switch box on the wall near the outdoor unit. Make sure it is pushed in.

What is not a DIY job

Refrigerant. If the system is blowing warm air and the copper lines are icing over, that is a leak or low charge. Refrigerant work needs gauges, a license, and finding the actual leak — topping it off without fixing the leak just buys a few weeks.

Anything electrical past the breaker. Capacitors and contactors fail constantly, but they hold a charge even with the power off.

When to call

If the thermostat is right, the filter is clean, and the breaker is set — but the house is still warming up — that is our visit. Same goes for any ice on the lines, water pooling under the air handler, or the outdoor unit humming but not spinning.

Call or text (267) 227-8115 and tell us what it is doing. We serve homes across Bucks, Montgomery, and Berks County.