As summer is winding down to a close, you are likely looking forward to cooler fall weather, and a break for your overworked air conditioner. However, before the summer ends, you may find yourself dealing with unexpected problems with your air conditioner. For many people, the timing of this could not be any worse. In order to avoid panicking and making a rash decision, get to know some of the steps that you can take to decide whether you should replace, repair, or just leave your air conditioning unit alone if this happens to you. Then, you can talk to an air conditioning service about your options. 

What To Check Before You Panic

Before you panic and assume that your air conditioner is done for and needs to be completely replaced, there are a few issues you can check for to ensure that the problem is not something minor. The first thing you want to do is check your circuit breakers for your home. 

If you blew a circuit breaker because of using too much power at once or there was a storm that caused an electrical surge, there is a possibility that your air conditioner was just shut off by the circuit breaker. Turn your thermostat to "off" and then throw any circuit breakers that have been effected. After you do so, turn your thermostat back to cool and set the temperature below the current temperature in your house. If the air kicks back on, you are in the clear. 

If a breaker is not the issue, you will want to check to make sure the filter in your HVAC system inside is not clogged or dislodged which may disrupt the proper function of your air conditioner. And, of course, look for any leaves or other yard debris that may have clogged your outside unit. 

What to Do If The Problem Isn't Easily Fixable

If none of the aforementioned methods worked to get your air conditioner working again, you should call an air conditioning services company, like United Heating & Air Conditioning,  to have them take a look and give you an estimate. Depending on the age of your air conditioning unit and the extent of the repairs that would be needed to fix it, you will be able to decide if it would be more prudent to repair or replace your unit. 

Oftentimes, unless damage is catastrophic or the unit is more than 10 or 15 years old, repairs are more cost effective. And while you may be tempted to hold off repairing or replacing your air conditioner until next summer, keep in mind that until the first freeze of winter, temperatures can fluctuate a great deal from sweltering heat to chilly and cool. You may not want to be without air conditioning some of the remaining days of the summer and fall. 

With this information in mind, you can take proper care of your air conditioning system and be sure that your home is well taken care of no matter what issues arise.