This is why you shouldn’t fix an air conditioner with no training

When my air conditioner malfunctioned, I was reluctant to call for professional repair.  I am currently living on a very tight budget, and hated to spend the money. Since my cooling system is fairly new, I doubted the problem was all that involved.  I figured it was most likely a maintenance issue. Hoping to save money, I had neglected to have the air conditioner professionally serviced for the past three years.  I suspected that a buildup of dust within the inner workings had caused the equipment to quit. I decided to attempt the repair on my own. I first did some research into air conditioner repair online.  I read up on how to take the cooling unit apart, and studied all the various parts. I learned about the motor, belts, cooling coil, fan blades, condenser, evaporator, condensate drain, and refrigerant. I was a little surprised by the amount of parts involved but hoped the cleaning process would be fairly simple.  Once I opened up the air conditioner, I was able to see the accumulation of dust, mold, and some green slime that I assumed was algae. I tried to be extremely careful and not damage anything, but I ended up bending several fan blades and breaking a belt. This required the purchase of replacement parts, and I had some trouble installing them.  When I put the whole thing back together, the air conditioner wouldn’t start up. I went without air conditioning for several weeks, until I couldn’t tolerate my overheated house any longer. When I finally hired a licensed contractor for air conditioner repair, he got the cooling system running within twenty minutes. I was relieved, but also a bit aggravated.