What To Check Before You Call

What To Check before Calling An Air Conditioning and Heating Contractor

494365425We, at Arctic Air Inc,  believe that in this tough economic climate, no one should be forced to spend money that does not need to be spent.  In order to help save you money, we have compiled a short list of simple air conditioning maintenance items you can check yourself.

Air Conditioning Equipment:

1. Check to make sure that your thermostat is set in the “cool” position.

2. Ensure that your outdoor air conditioning unit (condenser) is running:

  • Check the circuit breakers in the circuit breaker box (or electrical panel), most likely mounted to an outside wall in the back of the house. Are they in the “ON” position?
  • Check the outdoor unit “disconnect switch” to make sure it is in the “ON” position. The disconnect switch is located near the outdoor unit. (Typically a grey 8″ wide x 16″ high x 4″ deep box mounted to the wall).

3. Ensure that the blower motor in your furnace is running.  If the thermostat is in the “cool” position, the furnace (or air handler) blower should be running.

  • If not, check to make sure the on / off switch at the furnace is in the “ON” position.

air filter 4. Be sure that you have changed your filter in the furnace recently.

  • An extremely blocked filter can cause your outdoor air conditioning unit to shut down due to lack of proper airflow.
  • Standard filters should be changed every month.

5. Check all return air grilles to make sure they are not blocked by furniture.

  • Check all supply air registers to make sure they are open and blowing air. (The return air grilles are normally located on your walls and are wide and flat).

Gas Furnace Equipment

1. Check to make sure that your thermostat is set in the “heat” position.

2. Make sure that the temperature setting on the thermostat is set above (or higher than) the indoor temperature showing on the thermostat.

  • (This tells your heating system that it should provide heat!)

3. Ensure that there is power to the furnace:

  • Try turning the fan to “ON” using the fan switch on the thermostat to test for power to furnace.

4. Check the circuit breakers at the electrical panel to make sure they are in the “ON” position.

5. Check the SSU switch (it looks like a light switch on a gray box located at the furnace) to be sure it is in the “ON” position.

6. Replace the furnace filter if needed.

  • All 1-inch thick furnace filters should be replaced monthly.
  • If the system is running but you have not changed your filter, the filter may need to be replaced.

7. Check all return air grilles to make sure they are not blocked by furniture.

  • Check all supply air registers to make sure they are open and blowing air. (The return air grilles are normally located on your walls and are wide and flat).

Once you have checked all of these items (as appropriate to your system), and your unit still is not working, call Arctic Air Inc at 843-821-0937 or submit the form on the right.  We are here to serve you!