Air conditioners were once a luxury, but they have now become commonplace items in most every home. In some places, it's an absolute necessity for comfortable living. In fact, 3 of every 4 Australian households now has either an evaporative cooler or a refrigerated air con which is almost twice the ownership rate that we saw in the late 90's.

There are many different type of air con units including ducted air conditioning, reverse cycle air conditioning and more. There are also split system air conditioners which handle cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. No matter which type of system you have, there's a chance that issues could arise, and it's good to have a bit of knowledge under your belt so that you can troubleshoot the problem and figure out what needs fixing. Today, we'll look at some common air conditioner problems and what you can do if they should arise.

If the AC doesn't work at all.

This is one of the more common problems you might encounter. If your air con just stops working, your first reaction might be to worry that it's something serious. This isn't always the case, and doing a couple of quick checks can sometimes solve the problem.

First, check the power switches for the furnace and the outdoor unit to make sure they aren't turned off. Also, check the 240-volt disconnect which is usually a metal box located on the outside wall of your home near the compressor and be sure it is in the "on" position.

Next, have a look at your thermostat. Some models have batteries inside that will eventually need to be replaced, and this can sometimes cause your air con unit not to function. Remove the cover and check the batteries. Replace them if needed and see if that corrects the problem. If not, the issue might involve a fuse, or a breaker or your thermostat could need to be replaced entirely. In either case, it's best to contact a professional technician to handle those types of air conditioning repairs.

If the AC doesn't cool properly.

This is quite possibly the most common of all air conditioner problems. Sometimes, your air con will be blowing out air just fine, but the air isn't cool. This is usually an issue with the filter, but there can be other causes as well. Start by turning off the power to your air con. This is an important step when troubleshooting as some of the steps involved simply can't be done with the power on.

Now, open the door located on the front of the unit and have a look at the filter. If it's dirty, you can try to clean it or just replace it with a new one. Quite often this corrects the problem. Also, while you have the unit open, check to see if there is any ice on the coils. If so, you can close up the unit and turn the power back on, then turn the fan on and give it a couple of hours. The ice should melt away easily.

Another possibility is the air condensate drain, a plastic pipe that channels away the water that the AC unit creates by removing moisture from the air. At times, this pipe can become clogged up with algae which can cause the system not to work. If you see it's blocked up, then remove the algae and clear the pipe. Keeping the drain clear can also prevent leaks which we'll discuss a bit later on.

Finally, check the outdoor compressor. When you have the system set to cooling the compressor should be running, and you should see the fan spinning inside the top part of the unit. If not, you can see if your system has an overload switch or button that you can use to reset it. Not all models have that feature. If not, try sticking a screwdriver through the grille and giving the fan blades a clockwise spin. If doing that gets the compressor started then you most likely have a bad capacitor, which is one of the air con repairs that a professional technician will have to handle.

If the air conditioner is leaking.

Air conditioner leaks are a big mess, and they can be quite troublesome. Most are caused by a clogged condensate drain which we talked about earlier, but that isn't always the issue. If you keep an eye on your system, you may be able to catch small leaks before they turn into big messes.

Some systems, instead of the plastic drain pipe, have a condensate pump. In these types of systems, a 1/2 inch rubber tube is used which then connects to another drain pipe which leads outside the home. If the pump fails or becomes clogged, it will overflow. Some pumps have a small float switch which will be triggered if water gets backed up inside the pipe. It will shut off your air con to prevent further leakage.

Check to be sure the pipe is properly connected to the pump and that the pump is properly plugged in and has power. If yes in both cases, then the likely culprit is algae build-up in the pipes. You can either have the pipe replaced or use a wet-dry vac to suck out all the algae and clear the blockage. You can also test the pump, but if it still isn't working even though it has power and the pipes are clear, then it might be easier to have it replaced.