Your air conditioner is going to experience problems from time to time. You can call a professional repair technician every time, or you can make a diagnosis yourself and possibly make minor repairs to your system. If you have major repairs, or you aren't able to diagnose the problems yourself, you can hire a professional to do all of these things for you. To make a diagnosis yourself, read on for some tips you can use. 

Inspect The Unit Itself

The exterior unit outside of your home is called the condensing unit. This unit can become dirty because it is outside of your home and is exposed to a number of elements, including weather and surrounding debris from trees, plants, and other things. If your air conditioning unit is clogged with debris, it can cause a blockage in the flow of air to the unit, which in turn can cause a problem for the system. It needs air to run properly, so if no air is able to penetrate the fins and coils on the unit, it will shut down. You can clean the unit with a garden hose to remove the debris from the fins/coils or use compressed air to blow the debris from the coils. If your air conditioner has shut down, you should look at the unit and remove any debris that you can see, then reset the system. 

Check The Air Filter

The air filter on the unit may also be clogged with debris and it could be causing an issue with the unit not being able to run properly. If the unit is not running, check your air filter. If it's clogged with too much debris, you should replace the old filter with a new one that is the correct size. The better the air filter that you use, the better it is going to be at trapping dust and dander to prevent it from being blown around your home, and eventually clogging your vents or choking your system. Don't skimp on the type of filter you use in your system.

Inspect The Thermostat

You should inspect your thermostat to see if it's working properly. If the thermostat is not reading accurately, it may not be sending the right signals to the system, and your system will not run properly. You should check the wiring on the thermostat to be sure it is installed correctly and that none of the wires have gotten loose. Then inspect the thermostat to be sure it is reading the temperature correctly. If the thermostat is not working properly, you can swap it out with a new one to see if this will help to send the proper signals necessary to run. If your unit is still not working, it's best to hire a professional.

If you are experiencing problems with your air conditioning system, you can try to diagnose minor problems yourself, or you can hire a professional HVAC technician to help you diagnose and repair your system.

Contact a local air conditioning service to learn more.