Air Conditioner Won’t Turn On

Living in Florida, your home’s air conditioning system is essential to your overall comfort. If you have an infant or an older family member, it’s also essential for their overall health.

So when your AC won’t turn on (especially during the summer), it’s easy to bypass any feelings of serenity and go to straight to panic mode.

Don’t fret just yet. An air conditioner that won’t turn on isn’t entirely uncommon — and there are quick and easy steps you can take to figure out why your system is experiencing trouble.

Below are the most common reasons your AC won’t turn on.

1. A Circuit Breaker Tripped

Circuit breakers are designed to shut off when they’re receiving an electricity overload. This is a good thing. It protects your home from fires.

The reason breakers trip could be due to using too many appliances at once, or maybe an appliance is too old and consumes too much electricity.

Regardless of the reason, if the breaker that provides power to your AC unit trips, the air conditioner won’t turn on. Check to see if you need to reset a breaker.

2. You Have a Blown Fuse

To find out whether your fuses are working properly, you’ll need a multimeter to do a continuity test. Test both fuses. If the multimeter beeps, your fuses are working properly. If one of them doesn’t beep, you can purchase a replacement at a hardware store.

3. Clogged Air Filter

How often do you change your air filters? This is something that most people know needs to be done regularly, but it’s hardly something that’s prioritized.

Let’s look at some AC basics: Clean air filters ensure proper airflow. When they become caked with debris and dust, air is obstructed.

Under normal circumstances, an AC would absorb humidity from your home. Water droplets would then fall into a condensation tray, and drained outside through drain lines. But when your air filters are dirty, the water droplets will freeze, covering the coils with layers of ice.

4. Dirty Evaporator Coils

Dander, dirt, dust and all of that other icky debris from our day-to-day lives can build up on the evaporator coils, condenser, or filter within your air conditioner. Essentially, your AC is full of components that are prone to debris build up. When debris builds up on various components of your AC, it makes your system less efficient and can ultimately lead to a total breakdown. Do yourself (and your system) a favor and schedule regular AC maintenance.

5. Dirty Condenser Lines

The same way air filters get dirty, so do condenser lines. Over time, mold and algae will grow on them. In some cases, a rodent or a bird might think it’s an appropriate location to set up shop.

You can clean them by locating your AC condenser unit outside your home, lifting the lid, and using a wet/dry vac and DIY vac or distilled white vinegar to get rid of the debris inside. Before you do this, though, make sure to turn off the power source that feeds electricity to your AC. If this sounds too complex, give us a call and we’ll take care of it.

6. There’s a Refrigerant Leak

Refrigerant is coolant. However, it does not have to be added regularly, as with a car. When an AC unit is working properly, there’s no need to add refrigerant. That said, if you have a freon leak, your AC won’t work as it should. It could also cause refrigerant poisoning.

This type of issue can only be fixed by an HVAC professional, so instead of trying to DIY, contact us.

7. The Motor Stopped Working

If your AC had been making weird sounds before it stopped working altogether, the issue may be a faulty motor. To find out whether your motor still has some life left in it, you can do a capacitor test.

If the issue is your motor, you should get several quotes about how much it would cost to fix it versus the cost to replace the AC unit.

8. There’s a Wiring Issue in Your Home

Overall, how many problems do you have with electric appliances in your home? Do lights flicker on and off regularly? Do appliances make a humming sound when you first plug them in? Often, there are signs of wiring problems before the… pudding hits the fan.

If you often experience any of these, you’ll need an electrician to fix the underlying cause. And if it has affected your AC unit, you’ll need an HVAC professional to run a diagnostic test.

9. Your Thermostat Needs to Be Replaced

Your thermostat is an integral part of your AC system, since it’s the control panel for this appliance. If your thermostat is blank, broken, outdated, needs batteries, or another similar scenario, it can stop your AC from turning on.

You can start by testing your thermostat yourself. You’ll need your home to be silent for this, and spare time to go through all the settings to see if they’re working properly.

Emergency AC Repair Services in Orlando

While most modern air conditioning systems can last up to 20 years, even the most maintained systems will need a repair from time to time. That’s why having a reliable air conditioning company is so important for homeowners.

If your AC won’t turn on, the team at Energy Air can help right away. We offer emergency AC repairs because we know living for just one day without AC in Florida would be unbearable and cause even the best behaved of children to drive their parents crazier than usual.

Call us today to learn more or conveniently schedule your appointment online.