What Should I Do if My Air Conditioning System Won’t Turn On?

We’ve been working in the heating and cooling business for a long time—over 20 years—and we can tell you that the one of the top reasons somebody scrambles to the phone to call us during the summer is because of an air conditioning system that won’t come on. No humming sound, no fans, no cool air… no nothing.

We know this is an emergency, especially on the hottest late summer days. But there are some situations where a small mistake or something a homeowner may have overlooked is behind the AC failure. Before you panic over an uncooperative air conditioner, here are some steps to take to see if you do indeed have a repair issue on your hands.

• First, check on the power supply. If the AC failure occurs during the day when few lights are on, you may have lost power to your home and not yet noticed it. If the house does have power, the problem may lie in the electrical panel. Check to see if any circuit breakers have tripped. Air conditioners use a large amount of electricity, and sometimes they can trip breakers. Reset any tripped breaker and try the AC again.
• Look over the thermostat. An incorrect setting may account for the air conditioner refusing to come on. If you discover that the screen of the thermostat has gone blank, change the batteries in the unit. (If the unit doesn’t use batteries, then there is probably a wiring issue or the thermostat has broken.)
• Check the AC’s filter. An extremely clogged filter can sometimes stop the air conditioner from working. Keep in mind that this filter must be changed or cleaned once a month during times when the air conditioner runs on a regular basis.

Now if none of the above brings your air conditioner back from the dead, you will need a magician to handle the resurrection. I.e., an HVAC professional. Don’t mess with this “magic” on your own; get on the phone and call for experience technicians.

Raleigh Heating & Air, Inc. offers quality air conditioning repair services in Apex, NC.