Take a look at the outdoor fan unit to see if any twigs or branches have gotten inside after a storm.
Central air conditioning systems are split. A condenser coil and compressor are mounted outside, and an evaporator coil, blower and furnace is located inside. The outside unit's compressor sends refrigerant through the central AC system. Inside, hot air is sucked though the evaporator coil and the heat is transferred to the refrigerant, which is sent outside. The result is cool air inside. Problems with central ACs can be related to the throughput of the hot and cool air, power, maintenance and settings.
Instructions
1. Open vents within the home if cooling is unsatisfactory. The warm, inside air needs to be sucked into the AC and the resulting cool air sent through to the house. Furniture, drapes and other obstructions will block this process. Pay particular attention to the return air vent, which is often the largest one, nearest the inside AC unit.
2. Look for anything else that can be blocking parts of the system. Yard debris can obstruct the outdoor unit. Take a look at the outdoor fan unit to see if any twigs or branches have gotten inside the unit after a storm, for example. Turn the entire system off at the circuit breaker and remove the obstruction.
3. Check the circuit breakers if the system won't come on at all. There are often two circuit breakers. There is one circuit breaker at the household main panel and one circuit breaker near the outside AC unit. The one near the outside unit will be mounted outside on the wall, likely in a gray box. Check that they haven't tripped and reset them if they have.
4. Replace or clean the filter if performance is still poor. The filter is likely in a slot under the inside unit. Pull it out and clean it or replace it with a comparable one.
5. Check the thermostat. It's often near the indoor unit. Make sure it's set to cool or automatic, and not heat.
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