If you live where the temperatures are high during the summer months, you more than likely have air conditioning in your home. But if the air conditioning stops working, there are a few things you can check before calling in a repairman. If you can not get it running on your own, it may be necessary to enlist the services of an air conditioning repair service to help. 

Frozen Condenser Coil

One of the most common causes of air conditioning failures is a frozen condenser coil. The condenser can freeze if it is dirty and the ice will stop air from passing through it. If the air can not get through, it cannot be cooled. Turning off the unit for a few hours can allow the ice on the condenser to melt but there is no guarantee that the condenser will not freeze again. If you are having trouble with the unit freezing repeatedly, you need to call in an air conditioning service company to clean the unit.

Low Refrigerant Level

Another cause of air conditioning failure is a leak in the system that allows the level of refrigerant to drop too low. The compressor cannot keep the pressure up in the system and the system may run but the air will not get cold. There is no fix for this that you can do on your own but if you suspect this is what has happened, you will need an air conditioning repairman to come out and service the unit. They might be able to fix the leak if it is a loose fitting or something similar but if it is a hole in a coolant line or the condenser itself, replacement of the damaged part might be the only real option. There is no way for you to see the leak but the repairman can check the pressure in the system with special equipment and tell pretty quickly if it is leaking.

Thermostat Or Controller Failures

The thermostat in the house monitors the temperature and relays that information to the controller on the a/c unit. If the thermometer or controller are not working correctly, the system will not cycle on and off. In this case, you could have a unit that runs nonstop, making it way too cold in your home or a unit that does not kick on when it needs to. Either way, the diagnosis of this is again going to require some experience and tools. The thermostat is pretty easy to change and most homeowners can do it with the supplied direction if you purchase a new one, but if you are not sure that is the problem, you might be paying for something you do not need. In almost every case, an air conditioning unit that is not working properly is better diagnosed by a qualified repairman or a/c service company to avoid causing larger problems.