I had an unpleasant experience with my air conditioner a couple of weeks ago.
For several days, the operation of the cooling unit was getting gradually worse.
It was leaking water, making a strange noise and supplying less cool air than normal. Not only was there a decrease in the amount of air but it felt rather warm. The cooling unit was no longer keeping up with the needs of the house or handling the excess humidity. The air flowing from the vents had a foul odor, and there was more dust flying around in the air. I should have contacted a professional for repair, but I was hoping to save some money. The HVAC companies require a high fee just to check out the A/C. I figured I could manage the service myself. I am fairly handy and have a comprehensive set of tools. I watched some YouTube videos to get prepared. The service seemed simple. However, when I tried to access the outer cabinet, I realized that all of the screws were rusted. It took me 45 minutes just to get inside and see the inner workings of the A/C unit. I then discovered that my equipment didn’t look anything like what I’d seen online. The accumulations of dust, grime, mold and gross debris was downright shocking. I wasn’t certain where to begin. Although I made every effort to be super careful while cleaning the components, I had to really scrub to get rid of the contaminants. I wound up causing damage to the fan blades. I devoted nearly five hours to cleaning and putting the system back together. Once I was done, the A/C refused to even start up.