Central air conditioners have two separate components: the condenser and the evaporator. The condenser unit is usually located outside the house on a concrete slab. The evaporator coil is mounted in the plenum or main duct junction above the furnace.
Most central air conditioners are connected to a home's forced-air distribution system. Thus, the same motor, blower, and ductwork used for heating are used to distribute cool air from the air conditioning system. When a central air conditioner is operating, hot air inside the house flows to the furnace through the return-air duct. The hot air is moved by the blower across the cooled evaporator coil in the plenum and is then delivered through ducts to cool the house. When the air conditioner works but the house doesn't cool, the problem is probably in the distribution system.
Central air conditioners are made up of two separate components: the condenser unit,
located outside the house on a concrete slab, and the evaporator coil above the furnace.
Both the evaporator and the condenser are sealed. Therefore, a professional service person should be called for almost any maintenance other than routine cleaning. Central air conditioners should be professionally inspected and adjusted before the beginning of every cooling season. However, don't let your maintenance end with this annual checkup. While there aren't many repairs you can make yourself, there are specific maintenance procedures you can follow to keep your system operating at peak efficiency.
Caution: Before doing any work on an air conditioning system, make sure the power to the system, both to the condenser and to the evaporator assembly, is turned off.
Before you start working, let's try to narrow the scope of the job. Look for the problem you're having, and its solution, on the chart on the next page.
For more articles on home repair, check out the following links.
- How To Repair Room Air Conditioners: Cooling units that you mount in your window have the same job as central air conditioners, but the repair principles are different. Follow these instructions to get your unit running smoothly.
- Major Appliance Repair: If the a/c isn't the only thing in your house on the fritz, you can learn how to fix other machines in this article.
- Small Appliance Repair: Once you've tackled the a/c, a toaster or blender seems like child's play. Find out how to fix them here.
- Thermostat Maintenance: To make sure there's actually a problem with your a/c, you may want to check the thermostat, too. Learn how to calibrate a thermostat.