Your air conditioner brings you comfort and relaxation during the summer months. Your home becomes a place of serenity when that cool air hits you the minute you walk into the door. Without that cool air though, you're just walking into yet another inferno and relaxing is completely out of the question. If you have issues with your air conditioner, there are some things you can do to troubleshoot those problems. Read on for some helpful information to use as a guide.

Change the Thermostat

Change the thermostat and adjust it to see if it changes the temperature in your home. Your thermostat should tell the air conditioner to turn on when the temperature in your home is higher than the setting on the thermostat. Change the setting and see if it helps. Only adjust it a few degrees at a time, never moving it too high or too low, as it won't be able to keep up. If changing the temperature doesn't help, try to turn it off and then back on again to see if it cycles over again and starts. If this doesn't work, it may be some other issue. You can also try to change out the thermostat to see if the thermostat was the actual problem, rather than the air conditioner itself. If you have an old thermostat, change it to a new one.

Check Your Condensing Unit For Issues

Go outside to your condensing unit to see if you notice any issues. If the fins on the unit are dirty, you should clean them. Clean the coils as well and spray them down with a garden hose to clean them. Once clean, inspect it for other issues, such as anything blocking the airflow to your unit. If trees, bushes, or other objects are blocking the airflow, it can cause issues for your air conditioner. If you have anything else blocking the airflow, you need to move it away from the unit. 

If you have issues with your air conditioner, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot your system. If you still have issues, you should hire a professional air conditioning repairman for help in making the necessary repairs to get your system working properly again. Some minor issues may be repaired by you, but if you're in over your head, you should call in a professional to repair it for you.  

Contact an HVAC contractor if you need help with air conditioner repair.