Having any appliance fail to turn on can put a damper on anyone’s day. But having your air conditioner fail you in the middle of the summer is what nightmares are made of.
If your AC is not turning on, it could be due to several reasons:
6 Reasons Your Air Conditioner Won’t Turn On
1. Tripped Circuit Breaker
If your home’s electrical system gets a surge in wattage, a breaker will trip. This is done to prevent fire hazards.
Solution: If your AC was working fine a few hours ago and suddenly lost power, check to see if one of the breakers tripped and reset it. When you look at the breakers, you’ll see that they are labeled with the appliances they power in the home. Look for the one that says air conditioner and set it to “off” before setting it back to “on”.
2. Clogged Air Filters
When we have a long list of things to do and errands to run, it’s easy to forget to change your air filters. However, there are so many things that can cause them to fill up with debris, fast: pet dander, pet hair, dust particles, soot from smoking or lighting candles, allergens that come in through open windows. In addition, if your filters are made out of a lower-quality material, airflow will be blocked even faster.
The same way you remove lint from the lint tray in your dryer, you need to keep an eye on your air filters.
Solution: If you suspect this may be the issue, turn off the air conditioner and the breaker that supplies it with power, then replace them.
3. Clogged AC Drain Line
An air conditioner works by absorbing the heat and moisture from your home. The heat then condenses onto the AC coils. The resulting water drips into a drip pan and is syphoned out of your home through condenser lines.
Over time, all this moisture will cause algae, mold, and mildew to grow inside these pipes. It is for this reason that it’s important to clean your AC drain line regularly.
Solution: If that seems too complicated or overwhelming, call an HVAC professional to do it for you (not to toot our own horn, but we can do this in a heartbeat). If you do decide to give it a try yourself, remember to shut off your AC and the power supply to the unit before starting the clean-up process.
4. You Need to Replace a Blown Fuse
The fuse box is located on the outside of your home or business, on a wall near the condenser unit.
Solution: Start by shutting off the power source to your AC. Then lift the fuse box’s lid and take out both fuses. Use a multimeter to do a continuity test. If both fuses work well, then you’ve eliminated a likely culprit. If one of them is not working, you can purchase a new one at a hardware store.
5. The AC is Leaking Refrigerant
Refrigerant is a low-pressure gas that’s essential for an air conditioner to turn warm air into cold air. You’ll know you have a leak if prior to your AC not turning on, you felt like it wasn’t cooling your home. Another sign is a hissing sound coming from your air conditioner.
Solution: This is not one of the DIY things you can do on a day off from work. This is because the Clean Energy Act established a law that only allows certified technicians to purchase certain types of refrigerant. In addition, too much exposure to this gas could lead to refrigerant poisoning.
6. The Air Conditioner Needs to be Replaced
There’s only so much life in your AC. The average lifespan of an air conditioner is 15 to 20 years. You can attempt to have it last towards the higher end of that number by providing it with regular HVAC maintenance. But if it’s older than 20 years, it may be time to bite the bullet and buy a new one. If this is the case, don’t go in blind.
Solution: Talk to an HVAC professional about your home’s square footage and insulation to best determine your family’s need. After all, if you buy a unit that’s either too large or too small, you’ll end up back at square one with a home that’s never at the right temperature.
Contact Colman Heating & Air for AC Service Repair in Brevard County
At Colman, we understand that sometimes, AC issues happen during the most inconvenient of times. This is why we have a 24/7 AC emergency line. Call us to schedule routine HVAC maintenance to prevent issues during the summer, or if you need assistance ASAP for something that has already happened.
24-HR Emergency Service (321) 269-4565
