Your air conditioning system contains two fans, both of which are essential for it to provide your home with cool comfort during a Florida summer. The first fan is the indoor fan, the one you hear whirring through most of the day. This fan is responsible for circulating air through the rooms of the house. It also pushes warm air from the return air ducts over the evaporator coil so the air is cooled down. The outdoor fan does the job of exhausting the heat released through the condenser coil to the outside; if it doesn’t work, the AC can’t remove heat from the indoor air.
Because these fans are busy mechanical devices, they can wear down and fail at some point. Regular maintenance can help to head off this problem, but it can’t stop all malfunctions. At some point, you may discover one of the fans isn’t running and your house is rapidly getting hot. Usually, you will need air conditioning repair in Tampa, FL to get the fan working again.
Below are some of the reasons you may have failed AC fans.
The fan motor tripped the circuit breaker
During times of heavy work, such as on an extremely humid July day in Florida, one of the fans may cause an overload to its electrical circuit. When this happens, the breaker for the circuit will trip, cutting off the electrical power and stopping the fan. We recommend you check on the electrical panel to see if one of the breakers tripped. If resetting it doesn’t fix the problem, or the fan keeps tripping the breaker, you’ll need professionals to repair the air conditioner.
The thermostat isn’t connected to the fan
The thermostat may lose its connection to the fans so that no matter what its settings are, it won’t turn the fan on. (The opposite can also occur: the thermostat won’t turn the fan off.) Once you’ve determined a mistake in thermostat settings isn’t the source of the issue, have technicians examine the unit to see if it needs to be repaired or replaced.
The capacitors for the fan motors have failed
If you hear a clicking sound when the fan is supposed to come on, the problem is likely that a capacitor has failed. Capacitors store electricity and send voltage to the fan motors to start them up and keep them running. Capacitors have a limited lifespan and often fail before the rest of the air conditioning system. Don’t attempt to replace failed capacitors on your own—call for expert technicians to put in new capacitors.
Fan motor burn-out
The most extreme case for a broken AC fan, either indoor or outdoor, is when the motor overheats to the point that the wiring fuses to the casing and the motor burns out. The motor cannot be fixed at this point and must be replaced. If the air conditioner is already extremely old, motor burn-out is often a major sign that it’s time to have a new air conditioner installed. However, technicians may be able to give the system more years of life with a new motor.
Balanced Air, Inc. has served The Tampa Bay Area Since 1988. Look to us for 24/7 emergency air conditioning repair service and Experience the Balanced Air Difference!
