On a sunny hot day you are back from home and you switch ON your room air conditioner to get cooled and you find either the air conditioner doesn’t turn on or it doesn’t cool. I am not sure about you but I will certainly get mad in this situation.

Let us now discuss troubleshooting some of these most common room air conditioner problems and solution:

What to do when the Room Air Conditioner Doesn't Turn On ?

Room air conditioners consume a lot of electrical power. This can lead to less than optimum performance or even complete failure of the system. If your room air conditioner doesn’t turn on:

i) Be sure the unit is plugged in and turned on properly.

ii) Check if the outlet of the AC is working by unplugging the air conditioner and plugging in a light that works (NOTE: do not plug a light into a 220/240-volt receptacle).

iii) If the light doesn’t go on, the circuit has probably overloaded. You need to check the electric panel or fuse box and reset the breaker or replace the fuse if required.

iv) If the light works, it’s likely that the air conditioner’s switch is faulty or the thermostat needs some adjustment or needs some repairing.

v) Be sure the thermostat is set to “cool” and is below room temperature.

vi) Always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions (repair and care manual) for thermostat repair. If adjusting or repairing the thermostat doesn’t solve the problem then unplug the unit and call an air conditioner technician. If your air conditioner is under warranty, call the customer care of the company.

If your room air conditioner that doesn’t cool then you may need to clean it or recharge it with refrigerant. You can clean an air conditioner yourself by disassembling the unit yourself or you can call a professional. But before doing the job yourself you need to read the system manual and make sure you have the right skills and tools to do the job. Here is what you may need to do:

i) Unplug the unit and remove it very carefully from the window or the wall and place it somewhere outdoors where you can work on it.

ii) Remove the grille and filter and unscrew the metal case while making sure that you do not damage the coil’s fins.

iii) Wash out the filter or replace it with a new filter.

iv) Clean the inside coil’s fins by using a vacuum with a soft brush attachment.

v) From the fan side, spray water back through the fins. You will have to protect the wiring and motor with plastic.

vi) Clean the unit up with a rag and allow the system to dry completely.

vii) You can also lubricate the motor as per the “Repair and Care” manual’s instructions.

viii) Then reassemble and reinstall the unit.

If that does not do the work then clean the evaporator and condenser coils. If it still doesn’t works then you may have to call some professional or call the company’s customer care.