My air conditioner isn't working, what should I do?

Air Conditioner Tips and Tricks

1.      Are both the indoor and the outdoor units running? If not, check your circuit breakers. A brief power interruption or "brown-out" can cause a trip.

2.      When resetting a circuit breaker, first turn it all the way off, then back on. Some breakers may not look "tripped", when in reality they are.

3.      If the unit is running, but not cooling or heating properly, check your air filters. An extremely dirty filter can block the air flow and cause the system to malfunction....it can also increase operating costs dramatically!

4.      Check your thermostat; if your blower is running constantly, the fan switch on the thermostat may be in the "fan---on" position. For best humidity control and overall performance you should leave this switch in the "auto" position.

Heat Pump Tips and Tricks

1.      Set your thermostat at the setting most comfortable to you, and leave it there. A heat pump does not operate like a conventional furnace. "Juggling" the thermostat up and down will not save you money. In fact, it will increase your operating costs, because if you suddenly turn it up more than 2 degrees the auxiliary electric heat strips will kick on instantly. This action defeats the whole objective of a heat pump.

2.      The coil on your outdoor heat pump unit will normally begin to frost over during cold weather operation. A sensor in the unit automatically stops the fan motor and reverses the flow of refrigerant to send hot freon through the coil to de-ice it. You will see steam coming from the unit and water dripping below the unit. After the coil is de-iced, the fan will start up again automatically, and steam will fly! Don't be alarmed... this is all normal defrost operation.

3.      If the fan motor doesn't start back up after defrosting, or if you see ice on the outdoor unit coil for more than 2 hours, turn your heat pump off immediately and call us for service