Basic HVAC home troubleshooting

Basic HVAC Heating and Cooling System Troubleshooting

Your home heating and cooling system is a vital piece of your home that makes sure you and your family can feel comfortable year round. If it isn’t maintained properly, you run the risk of your system becoming less efficient that will not only wasting costly energy, but make it difficult to maintain that perfect, comfortable environment in your home. When something goes wrong, there are a few common things to check in the HVAC system for some quick troubleshooting.

Time to Swap Filters

A filter that is full of dirt and dust cannot properly move the air your HVAC system needs to operate efficiently. Even if the air still is flowing, the mechanics of the system might be working harder than they need too, prematurely aging your equipment. Plan to change your filters once a month in high-use seasons and every three months the rest of the year.

Thermostat Is Broken

If your house is suddenly too hot or too cold and nothing seems to be wrong with the HVAC equipment, the culprit might just be your thermostat. Fortunately, this is a simple and relatively inexpensive repair to make. Make sure that you check the status of your thermostat and see if it’s functioning properly before you start looking into other pieces of your system or planning a bigger repair project.

Tripped Breaker

HVAC equipment that is completely unresponsive might throw you into a panic, but the reason might just be a tripped breaker. Be sure to immediately check out your breaker panel before doing anything other detective work. Flip the appropriate breaker back to the “on” position. That should get your system back up and running unless there was another problem inside your system. It is possible that a breaker switch could be a fluke, but if the breaker continues to trip, contact a professional to help you address what may be causing the issue.

Unbalanced Dampers

Dampers in your home heating and cooling ducts restrict the airflow into any section or room. If it seems like a particular space is always too cold or too warm, you might need to adjust the dampers that lead to that room. If adjusting the dampers doesn’t completely solve the issue, you may have another issue on your hands.

Leaking Refrigerant

If your home cooling system doesn’t seem to be producing air that is as cold as expected, you might have a problem with refrigerant leaking from the AC unit. If so, you will need to call a professional out to reload the system and repair any leaks.