If you’ve arrived at this page, it’s because your air conditioner isn’t working properly. Today we will talk about the most common breakdowns of AC problems. But before we start looking at them, you should understand that there are complex systems and special cases where you need to find some AC service. Usually, they know exactly all the problems according to ACs. So the AC service and maintenance is always the best idea.
Some signs of breakdowns may have ambiguous solutions. To cover the entire scope of problems, of course, one page will not be enough. But still, we will try to state the main malfunctions in such a way that you learn to think in the right direction and look for ways to solve the problem.
AC problems
I think it would be right to start the article by listing the signs of malfunctions. After all, when you first encounter such a problem, you see only its external manifestations. We would even clarify that for the user, the main indicator is primarily the “behavior” of the indoor unit. As a result, we shall confine ourselves to researching problems in this article, with a focus on the behavior of the interior unit.
After dealing with the external indicators, we’ll go through the causes of their appearance and how to get rid of them. Now our main task is to identify the malfunction and begin to search for its cause. And the elimination of each individual cause is a topic for a separate article.
Before starting to sort out the malfunctions, we will immediately set the conditions that the air conditioner must be clean! In order not to confuse the concepts of “faulty air conditioner” and “air conditioner requiring maintenance.” The cause of all breakdowns can be contamination of the air conditioner.
Perhaps, all main malfunctions contain 4 groups, which already indirectly indicate the causes. Let’s designate them like this:
- The most common case is the behavior of the indoor unit, when “the indoor unit works, but does not cool.” This symptom usually means that the shutters of the unit are opening, the fan is spinning, but there is no change in the temperature in the room. Simultaneously, you must ensure that the air conditioner is properly set and that the operating conditions are followed (for example, the temperature outside).
- The second also the common case is the situation when water flows from the indoor unit.
- Let’s designate the next case as follows – the air conditioner does not show any signs of life at all (does not respond to the remote control).
- The fourth case sounds something like this – the air conditioner works for a while, and then suddenly turns off. We also include here all other problems (idle fans, compressor, etc.).
And now we begin to analyze all four points in order, but do not forget that the reason may be ambiguous:
The air conditioner works, but does not cool – people call it the most common symptom.
The first step is to make sure that the air conditioner is set up correctly and that all operating conditions are met! In order to understand at this stage where to go next, you need to find out if the compressor is working. During operation, it should “buzz” a little and vibrate:
Water flowing from the air conditioner is an equally common situation.
The reason for this phenomenon often lies in the clogging of the drainage tray or drainage hose. The interior unit must be disassembled and the drainage system thoroughly cleaned.
Air conditioners with defects in the condensate collection system are often supplied. Water periodically flows from the block due to structural imperfections. In this case, it is difficult to find the cause. You have to disassemble the indoor unit and in the process of its operation, study how the condensate flows. And as luck would have it at these moments, the drainage system is functioning normally!
The air conditioner does not turn on.
In some cases, the way out is easy! First of all, we check the power supply and the operation of the remote control.
The air conditioner does not turn on.
In some cases, the way out is easy! But there can be many reasons here: the amount of freon in the system does not match, the compressor overheats, the fans do not work, the capillary tube is clogged, and so on. The most difficult is a malfunction of the electronics. In general, it is better to understand on the spot (it all depends on the signs). It is unlikely to do without professional skills, experience and special tools.
When the reason is electronics, then we start looking for the most vulnerable parts: fuses, transformers. If a blown fuse is detected, then it is necessary to find the cause of its burning and eliminate it (usually the problem lies in the varistor). Such actions did not work, then you should move on to even more complex reasons and study the board in more detail (diode bridge, voltage regulator, capacitors, relays).
Few people repair the board, in most cases they simply change it to a new one. But not all models of air conditioners can be easily found. Difficulties occur with rare (often inexpensive) Chinese air conditioners. Then you have to repair the board and look for suitable parts. In some situations, it may be more rational to replace the entire air conditioner. In any case, special training is indispensable here.
