Serving Fresno & Clovis since 1983

AIR CONDITIONING TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST

TRY THESE THINGS BEFORE YOU CALL - YOU JUST MAY FIX IT YOURSELF!

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR A/C FILTER RECENTLY??
HOW ABOUT YOUR THERMOSTAT BATTERIES??

SPLIT SYSTEMS: If the condenser (the box in your backyard-usually, sometimes it may be on the roof) is not coming on at all, the fan on top is not turning and/or not making any noise= try resetting your circuit breaker - even if it doesn't look tripped. The breaker should be marked either "A/C", "air cond" or "condenser". After resetting, wait a few minutes before turning it back on at the thermostat to see if the condenser comes on. Remember, the air won't feel cool right away so give it some time - maybe 10-15 mins to determine if the air is blowing cool again.  If it's not cool, turn the thermostat to off to prevent any further damage, and call for help.

ROOFTOP UNITS: If your air conditioner was "working fine then all of a sudden quit blowing",  there are many things that causes this to happen, but it never hurts to reset your circuit breaker,  and then wait a few minutes to see if it may start working again. If it doesn't, turn it off at the thermostat and call for other suggestions, or possibly an appointment.

ANY SYSTEM: If it's making any kind of unusual noise or smell - TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY  and then call for help.

THERMOSTATS: If your thermostat is blank, check to see if it needs new batteries, if so, once you replace them the screen should come on and look like it always has. If your thermostat is blinking an error code & you are able to check what it says, go ahead - you may fix it! If you're not able to follow what it says check for a reset button and push it to see if that makes a difference. If not, it's time to call for assistance.

REMINDER - ESPECIALLY DURING A HEAT WAVE - don't forget to change your air filter especially during repeated high temps like we experienced in 2024, when most of us are running our a/c's more than usual. Another thing you can do if your unit is on the ground is to clean your condenser coils. Rinse them with a hose - DO NOT USE A NOZZLE, JUST YOUR THUMB to gently rinse and avoid damaging the aluminum fins. If you're unsure, then please call us and we'll come out, do your servicing, and teach you exactly how to wash the coils without damaging them. Extremely damaged coils usually can not be repaired so if they get damaged you may end up having to replace your condenser for $3000 and up. We'd rather show you how to prevent a costly mistake.


HELPFUL TIPS & MONEY SAVING INFO                                                   

Below is a list of links to helpful information. Keep in mind to try to provide you with as much helpful information as we can, this list is a work in progress and we will be adding to it from time to time, so check back often. Misc. Info and more...
  • HVAC or H.V.A.C is the acronym for Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. 
  • MERV or M.E.R.V. is the acronym for "Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value", which is a measure of a filter's  efficiency performance. The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient the air filter. MERV is an industry wide standard, so it can be used to compare filters made by different manufacturers.
  • HERS Rater - Home Energy Rating System
  • CalCERTS - California Organization for HERS raters
  • RESNET - Residential Energy Services NETworks

DUCT LEAK TESTING                                                                                


Below are multiple links to a variety of videos and comprehensive information specifically about air duct leak detection and how it can really effect your comfort, & your a/c utility bill as well.

3rd PARTY REFRIGERANT LEVELS VERIFICATION                           


Detailed information about this new requirement is available from the company that provides the service. Since there is an extra charge for this, we wanted to provide some  info for you here. What we do know is that this procedure has to be performed by a licensed and trained third party company, and it only applies to new split systems - not dual-pak units.  The third party company basically checks the amount of freon in the system after installation to make sure it meets specifications. Our company has always done this after EVERY installation, but apparently some companies, and possibly even the manufacturers were not doing this and people were running their units not realizing it wasn't working to optimum capacity which in turn uses more energy. Cost for this test ranges between $100 to $400 per check.

Our company did contact the California Energy Commission and was told to look it up in their manual HERE. This is a 43 page document and while I (Roberta) don't want to learn how to do the procedure, this was all the documentation they had available at the time of my call to them. A local testing company had not yet received any documentation either.*

                                                      

HERE is a link to a lot of HVAC related documents and regulations (added 4-23-19). Please contact any testing company or the California Energy Commission for more and current information.