Window Air Conditioning Troubleshooting

Summer has arrived; you can hear it in the air – birds chirping, kids playing, and air conditioners humming. This is all great, until that air conditioning hum stops. In most cases, the best solution is to call a professional HVAC technician to resolve the problem. Before you make the call, check to see if these are any of the problems you are facing. Some of them are quick fixes!

Typical Room/Window Air Conditioner Malfunctions

1.    Water is dripping from the front panel of my window air conditioner.

Water condensation isn’t exiting the drain properly and is collecting in the base. You need to change the slope of the unit so gravity pulls the water outdoors and not on your floor.

2.    My window air conditioner won’t turn on.

First, check the power source, and then check breaker. If neither is dysfunctional, the problem could be an electrical problem or something more technical – faulty wiring, compressor, or control board – and requires a professional HVAC technician’s services.

3.    My A/C unit blew a fuse or popped a circuit breaker.

If this happens, it probably means that your existing circuit doesn’t have the right amount of amps to safely run your unit. You will want to dedicate a 20-amp circuit solely for your air conditioning unit to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

4.    The air coming out of my window air conditioner isn’t cold, or isn’t cold enough.

Make sure the thermostat on your unit is set at the temperature you want. Listen for the A/C compressor motor. If it is humming steadily, the problem is probably with the condenser or evaporator. If the there is no noise or the noise is irregular, the compressor motor is probably broken. When the air isn’t as cold as you’d like, you might be expecting too much from your unit. Usually, window air conditioners can only change the air 10-15 °F.  You should look into upgrading your unit – perhaps ductless or central air conditioning!

Like we mentioned before, these are small, suggested remedies for common problems people have with their window air conditioners. You should not try to rewire or rebuild a unit if you don’t have the proper training.

Keep this air conditioner troubleshooting chart handy this summer, too!