An air conditioner that won’t turn on is bound to make everyone in the house go into panic mode especially on a hot summer day. The fans might come on but the compressor fails leading to circulation of air at room temperature throughout the house. This doesn’t do anyone in the house any good. Never hesitate to call a professional AC technician to come and check the malfunction. Have number of a reliable technician handy so you can call them when you need emergency AC repair. Read on to discover some of the conditions that might be making your air conditioner fail to turn on.
Dead thermostat batteries
A thermostat is for controlling temperature settings on the air conditioner and is powered by batteries. Additionally, the thermostat is for turning the air conditioner on and off. When these are dead, the thermostat won’t work and the AC won’t run. This is the most common reason for the AC not turning on but is easier to check.
Just pull back the thermostat cover to reveal the batteries and a tiny circuit board. Pull out the batteries and replace them with a new pair. Return the plastic cover and turn the thermostat on. Afterward, the air conditioner should begin blowing cold air into your space. The thermostat batteries are supposed to be replaced annually.
Dirty air filter
The filter in the air conditioner is to sieve out dirt, dust, and other pollutants. This gets dirty with time and requires cleaning or replacement. Never hesitate to call the best AC service in Houston to clean or replace the filter. This is necessary every two to three months depending on the season. The technician will advise you on when to have the filter replaced to keep your AC unit working efficiently. This limits chances of failing to turn on.
Neglecting to clean or replace the filter encourages build-up of dirt and dust to make the unit freeze up. You can tell this when your runs but doesn’t cool the air. With time, the dirty filter might make the unit fail to turn on. You can tell the dirty filter is making your unit not turn on by touching the handler on the roof or inside the AC. When cold or has visible signs of ice or frost, then dirty filter is making your unit not turn on.
AC out of coolant
An air conditioner requires coolant to cool the air efficiently. Keep in mind that coolant is gas and might seep over time. When your unit is out of coolant, it fails to cool the air as expected. A periodic check-up by a professional technician is necessary for the appropriate top up of coolant. This is very important before your unit fails to turn on. The air conditioner might get low on coolant because of a leakage. During periodic maintenance and repair, the technician pinpoints the source of the leak using dye colored coolant and fixes it.
Bad AC Motor
The air conditioner motor is an essential component to keep the compressor in good condition. Keep in mind that a dead motor might make the AC unit fail to work. Calling a professional AC technician is very important to fix the motor before other parts like the compressor break down. You can tell problems with the motor in your AC with signs including:
- Fan won’t start with AC on
- Fan won’t stop AC is off
- Fan turns on but blades rotate very slowly
- Rattling noise from the condenser when the fan is on
A professional technician can tell whether the motor is repairable or needs replacement. Getting a new motor is viable if the repair cost is almost half the initial AC unit cost. The new motor is energy efficient to save you money in the long run. Regular maintenance and checks are essential to avoid such problems and to extend the life of your unit.
Tripped circuit breaker
Finally, circuit breakers in a home are essential to avoid power overload that might cause electrical fires. During operation, an air conditioner might consume much electricity with the compressor putting a heavy demand on the electric circuit. This might make the circuit breaker connected to the air conditioner to trip making the unit shut down.
When you turn on the AC and it fails to power, check the circuit breaker and reset it. However, if the AC continues tripping the circuit breaker, call a technician immediately. This will allow discovering the underlying cause and remedies applied to prevent it from happening again.
In summary
Your air conditioner works consistently to ensure that you have good indoor air quality and your place more habitable. There is a reason to get worried when your AC fails to turn on. This might result from various conditions including a dirty filter, low coolant, and tripped circuit breaker. In all these situations, you can call a professional AC technician to diagnose and fix the problem.
