No matter what kind of business you might be running in the Tallahassee area, effective operations undoubtedly rely on essential equipment that may be subject to breakdowns. Whether machinery, appliances, computers, or other electronics, every business faces operational disruptions if its instrumental gear breaks down. While you may not consider it “essential” to operations, a breakdown of your business’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment will certainly cause problems. The loss of air conditioning during the warm weather months will make your employees miserable and negatively affect visiting customers or clients.
The HVAC specialists at Tallahassee’s Air Control Heating and Cooling know that people—including business owners and managers—generally take the air conditioning systems for granted. That is, as long as they keep delivering cool air, which they usually do. However, when a business’s air conditioning stops working or struggles to cool the air effectively, most owners and managers feel powerless and believe their only recourse is to contact an HVAC repair technician.
And sure, if your business’s air conditioner stops working or otherwise shows signs of trouble, we trust that you will contact the commercial HVAC contractors of Tallahassee’s Air Control Heating and Cooling. But before you call us, we have some tips that may help you resolve the problem yourself. Here are eight steps to take if your business’s air conditioner stops working:
1. Check Your AC System’s Power Supply
If your business’s air conditioner is not running or will not start operating when you turn it on, it’s probably not receiving any electrical power. Check your electrical panel to see if the HVAC system’s circuit breaker has been tripped. If you cannot tell whether it’s been tripped or not, switch the breaker off and then back on. If your air conditioner fires up, the tripped circuit was the problem. However, if that doesn’t power up your AC or it comes on but then repeatedly trips the circuit, you should call an HVAC technician.
2. Inspect Your System’s Thermostat
Inspect your AC system’s thermostat to ensure it’s working and set on the proper “cool” setting with temperatures below the indoor temps. If it’s obviously not working, the fix could be as easy as replacing its battery. Otherwise, you may need to call a professional for AC service.
3. Check for Blocked Vents
If your air conditioner runs normally but fails to adequately cool any of your business’s indoor spaces, double-check all vents to ensure they aren’t covered by anything. During cooler months when the AC may not be needed, employees may not recognize the importance of the vents and accidentally cover them.
4. Examine Your AC System’s Air Filters
Do you know when your HVAC system’s air filters were last replaced? If not, there is a chance that dirt, dust, and debris have built up on them to the extent that they are blocking airflow. When this happens, the cooling capacity of your air conditioner is reduced, and a completely clogged filter can make your system stop working.
5. Inspect the Outdoor Condenser Unit
Dirty air filters aren’t the only cause of poor cooling, as debris on the outdoor condenser unit can also cause an AC system to run without proper cooling. If you must clear leaves, grass, or other debris from around the outside unit, that may solve your problem.
6. See Whether the Coils Have Frozen
While inspecting the outdoor unit, look to see whether there is any ice buildup on the condenser coils. If so, you should turn your air conditioning off to let the coils thaw and see if that resolves the problem. However, any resolution may only be temporary, as there is probably an underlying cause—such as low refrigerant levels—to the coils’ freezing. As such, you’ll probably need to call an HVAC technician to resolve this issue.
7. Try a System Reset
Many commercial HVAC systems come equipped with a reset button designed to restore normal function if the system experiences an issue like electrical surge or minor malfunction. If so, you can certainly try to reset the system, but we suggest you read about the reset function in your system’s user manual.
8. Call the Commercial HVAC Specialists at Air Control
If none of these fixes resolve your air conditioning problem at your Tallahassee-area business, we recommend that you contact the commercial HVAC repair experts at Air Control Heating and Cooling. To prevent such issues from arising in the first place, consider joining our Air Control Club, which provides our commercial members with two 18-point system inspections per year. These inspections include condenser coil and drain cleaning and any necessary fluid replacements. Other Air Control Club benefits include:
- 24-hour priority service.
- Zero or holiday-only overtime charges.
- Reduced service call diagnostic charges.
- 10% service call savings on parts and labor.
- 10% savings on duct cleaning and indoor air quality products.
- $250 discount on replacement units
For all your commercial HVAC needs, consult with the NATE-certified experts at Tallahassee’s Air Control Heating and Cooling. With top-notch HVAC service in Tallahassee, Havana, Quincy, Monticello, and Crawfordville since 1968, you can contact us at (850) 562-1234.