AC not working in your place? Stay cool my friend. A checklist for chillin’ with your air conditioner. So, you're hanging out, and you notice it is getting hotter. Your AC is on, but man, it’s like 80+ degrees inside. What’s the deal? Let’s figure it out with this easy AC checklist. Please note, AC not working is NEVER a maintenance emergency. Inconvenient? absolutely! (And we apologize for the inconvenience and are ready to help). But not an emergency. Please be respectful of service people’s evening and weekend time by not using the emergency call line for non-emergencies. The biggest reason is that heating and cooling stores are not open on the weekend; therefore, we cannot get parts for your system. If you try everything below and you still aren’t chilling out, submit a maintenance request and we’ll get it handled during normal business hours! Issue 1: Be sure that the AC unit is ON and that it is getting power. Is air flowing out of the vents? Put your hand by an air vent (not an air return vent, these are bigger). Do you feel any air moving? If not, check the following: Is the thermostat set to On and Cool? If not, turn it to on. Is the fan set to auto? If yes, set it to ON and see if you get any air flow (it won’t be cold if the AC isn’t working, but air should flow. If it doesn’t, that’s vital info!). If no air flow even with fan set to On, check the breakers for the unit? Locate the fuse box, find the ones labelled AC (there will likely be more than one). Are they off or tripped (half way over)? Turn them on. If they were on, go ahead and flip them off, then wait five minutes, and turn them back on. ALSO, check your air filter. If it’s really clogged, it may keep air from flowing at all–and even if it’s just somewhat dirty and clogged, it can cause the outside unit to overwork and “freeze up.” If you still have no air (at all) coming from the vents, please submit a maintenance ticket through your tenant portal and we will have someone come out during normal business hours. Issue 2: Air is coming out, but it’s not cold. So, you have air moving, but it’s not cold air? Then the question is why no cold? And the answer usually is because the outside unit is not working or not working well. Is the thermostat set to On and Cool? I know, it seems obvious, but we have had calls where tenants have turned the thermostat FAN to on, but didn’t set the AC to cool. Check it to be sure. Is the outside AC unit running (making noise AND has a whirling fan)? If the outside unit is not running at all… Are you REALLY sure you have checked the thermostat and the all the AC breakers? Flip the breakers for 5-10 minutes, and turn it all back on. Any luck? If not, submit a maintenance ticket with the details of what you have learned (it will help us ID what you might need) and we’ll get right on it. If the outside unit is running but it has ice on it… Does the outside unit look like it has ice on the sides (could be a little, could be a lot!)? See “frozen units.” Check the INSIDE part of the AC system (the “blower”) Is the filter very dirty or was it partially “sucked up” into the unit? Replace it. It’s impeding air flow. Get one of the exact same size. You may need to unfreeze the unit (see frozen units). Is there ANY water around the filter or the base of the unit? This is a good sign that the INSIDE unit has frozen up. Another good clue is if there is some ice around the insulated pipe that usually comes out of the unit in front (the copper one, not the plastic one). Frozen AC Units – The most common AC unit issue during move in You may have a frozen AC unit. If it looks like ice on the outside unit, its likely frozen. Turn the AC off (you may leave the fan set to on) so that it may thaw out. It can take a while: hours (up to 12!!), not minutes…. Note, it doesn’t have to look nearly as bad as this one. This happens most often when it’s hot, you crank the AC down, and you have the doors open and closed a lot (think moving in, or “party”). The unit runs too much, can’t keep up, builds up ice, which makes it less efficient, and continues until it won’t work at all (and can be a solid ice block!). You might also check the filter. If it is really dirty, try replacing it. Dirty filters can make it more likely an AC will “freeze.” Either way, you have to wait for it to thaw out. Once thawed, turn it back on, and only lower the AC temp a few degrees at a time. The ONLY solution for a frozen unit (inside or outside) is to turn the unit off completely and to let it completely thaw. Anything else will repeat the cycle (and frustrate you). All AC units are prone to this problem when then can’t keep up and/or have dirty filters. Both the inside and outside units can freeze up, one, the other, or both! The inside one is harder to tell but it usually has some ice around the pipe entering the unit on the front. Other AC Related Concerns? Water Leaking… You might find that your inside or outside AC unit are leaking water? Should you be concerned?! Yes, well especially inside, but sometimes its normal (outside). This blog post from Sears talks a bit about various water leaks related to AC. No luck? We are sorry you are having trouble with your AC. If you have tried all of the above, please submit a maintenance request (noting what you learned while troubleshooting), and we will get you chillin’ in no time. Here’s a quick video that addresses some of the above steps…. Note, the electricity in AC units is nothing to mess with. Please do not attempt any of the repairs that involve taking apart the units — you can get hurt AND you can cause identifiable damage that is worse than the original problem.
If you smell gas, then this could be dangerous, but first, do you actually have gas service? Gas is not something to mess with. If you think you smell gas and you have gas utilities, be safe. Crack some windows. Go outside, keep reading, and decide what to do next. When in doubt, call Vectren, the gas company, 800.227.1376. Note that it is totally normal on automatic pilots (pilots that do NOT stay lit all the time) to smell a little natural gas when they are first turned on. A little gas will escape as the pilot and burners light on your heat or appliance. Does your unit actually have gas service? Yes, we do get calls from people who don’t have gas but smell ‘gas’ and are freaked out. If you don’t have gas service, then it is likely not explosive gas (i.e. natural gas or propane). Of course, if your whole area around your house smells of gas, then there may be a nearby gas line leak and that would be a big deal, so call Vectren if so. Have Gas? Check Pilots! You confirmed you actually DO have gas service. Check the pilot light on your furnace and on your stove. On the furnace, there is usually a front plate. With the lights off, bend down and see if you can see a small blue flame. On the stove, if you lift up the lid, you should be able to see a small flame (sometimes more than one) and/or if you put your hand on the top of the stove it should feel warm between some of the burners. Newer gas stovetops have automatic pilot lights and will not be warm or have a pilot unless turned on. If either the stove or furnace is not lit, relight it. If you don’t know how, turn the gas off at the source (usually a knob behind the stove and a knob leading to the furnace). If only one appliance has the pilot out (like the stove) or smells, you don’t need to turn off the other. S ewer Gas vs Utility Gas Pilots on or you don’t have gas service? It is very likely what you smell is “sewer gas” which can come up into a house when the traps in drains get dry. It’s a pungent gas-like smell. Run water down ALL your drains and fill a cup of water, find your drain by your furnace and pour water down it too (think big cup, not shot glass). See our site for more information. Still not sure what to do? See “gas leaks,” on page one, call Vectren, 800.227.1376, then call us.
Here are a few steps you can take to protect your home during cold weather: Leave the heat on!! Turn down heat to 60 to save energy but DON’T turn the heat off or pipes may freeze and burst damaging your residence, your belongings, or even your neighbor’s property. Run a trickle of water. A trickle of hot and cold water might be all it takes to keep your pipes from freezing. Let warm water drip overnight, preferably from an indoor faucet on an outside wall. From The Weather Channel: Letting a faucet drip during extreme cold weather can prevent a pipe from bursting. It’s not that a small flow of water prevents freezing; this helps, but water can freeze even with a slow flow. Rather, opening a faucet will provide relief from the excessive pressure that builds between the faucet and the ice blockage when freezing occurs. If there is no excessive water pressure, there is no burst pipe, even if the water inside the pipe freezes. The drip can be very slight. Even the slowest drip at normal pressure will provide pressure relief when needed. Where both hot and cold lines serve a spigot, make sure each one contributes to the drip, since both are subjected to freezing. If the dripping stops, leave the faucet(s) open, since a pipe may have frozen and will still need pressure relief. Open cabinet doors below sinks. Pipes under the kitchen and bathroom sinks are particularly vulnerable, leave the doors open to allow them to get more heat. This is particularly true for sinks on exterior walls. Be sure the heating vents are open. Be sure the heating vents are open in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms or any room where there are pipes, faucets, fridges with water lines, washing machines, etc. Close crawl space vents. You may not be in house with a crawlspace, but if you are then close the crawlspace openings and air vents. In cold weather, closing these (if you have them) conserves energy and lowers your bills. In warm weather, open them to allow air to circulate. Remove hoses from outside faucets. Be sure the faucets are off and the hoses removed. Hoses left attached can not only wreck the hose, but can break the faucet or line. If you will be gone during periods of extreme cold, you or a roommate, friend, or family member should check on your apartment periodically. NEVER turn your heat off when leaving town.
