Why Did My Air Conditioner Stop Working?

Your AC isn’t cooling your home? Yikes.

No doubt you want to try and fix the issue yourself before calling a professional.

We understand.

Check these 4 things before calling an AC repair technician for help.

Make sure your is your thermostat set to COOL not HEAT.

If it’s set to HEAT (perhaps by accident or due to malicious ghosts) then your AC won’t run no matter how low you turn the temperature setting.

If it is set to COOL, turn the thermostat down about 5 degrees to see if the AC comes on.

Any luck? No?

Then...

Go to your main electrical panel/fuse box and look for any tripped breakers or blown fuses (you should get the fuse box replaced, BTW).

Reset any breakers and replace any fuses. To reset a breaker, turn it to the ‘off’ position and then the ‘on’ position.

If the breaker trips immediately after you reset, then that means you have an electrical issue (like a short circuit) somewhere and need to schedule a repair

If there are no tripped breakers or blown fuses then you should...

Look within a few feet of the outside AC unit for a box mounted to the exterior of your house. In that box, there should be a main power switch for the AC.

Make sure the switch is in the “on” position.

Pull out your return vent’s air filter. Is it super dirty? If so, you may have found the problem.

A dirty air filter can shut down your air conditioner for two reasons:

1. A dirty filter forces the AC’s blower to work harder to circulate air, causing it to overheat and trip the circuit breaker.
2. A dirty filter reduces airflow over the evaporator coil (the part that cools the air), causing the coil to literally freeze up and shut down your system.

If you’ve tried the above 4 solutions, and your AC still isn’t working, I’m afraid you’ve exhausted your DIY options.

If you need a professional and live in Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs or the surrounding area, then consider contacting Advanced Air for an AC repair (scheduling online saves you 10%).