It’s another summer day in the 80s or 90s in Oswego, Yorkville, Naperville, Aurora and Plainfield. Maybe you’ve been outside for a bit, or you can feel the temperature rising inside.
If your thermostat is set, it should be turning on the AC at your set comfort point. But what if your outside AC unit doesn’t turn on? Or maybe the fan in the unit is running but no cool air is flowing through your vents. Before you contact your AC professional for a service visit, you can try a few things on your own.
My Outside AC Unit Not Turning On: Check the Thermostat Again
You’d be surprised by how often the smallest details can solve an issue. Go back to your thermostat and make sure the setting is COOL. You can also try lowering the setting a few degrees more.
Verify too that the thermostat still has sufficient battery power. If you see the battery icon blinking, it means the battery is getting weaker and should be replaced.
My Outside AC Unit Not Turning On: Check the Power Sources
An outdoor AC unit receives power separately from the indoor unit. Go to your circuit panel and see if the breaker for the outdoor unit might have been tripped. If so, reset it by flipping it off and then on again.
On a similar note, your system may have a reset button near the outside unit. If it does, push that button to see if that restores the power.
Check the inside AC unit’s power switch as well. It looks like a light switch, and you’ll usually find it close to your indoor furnace and blower. If the switch is off, it will turn off the blower and cause the inside unit to freeze. This will shut down your AC system. If the switch is off, be sure to turn it back on.
My Outside AC Unit Not Turning On: Check the Air Filter
Although it’s a basic item, the air filter can create all kinds of challenges for an AC system if it’s not replaced every three months. If the filter is old, dirty and clogged, it can stress the unit and cause it to malfunction or stop.
With a clean filter, your AC system can properly absorb humidity from your spaces and deposit the droplets in a condensation tray to be drained outside through drain lines. A dirty filter can cause the droplets to freeze and create ice on the condensation coils. Water or moisture issues such as condensation or frozen coils should be assessed by a professional AC tech.
My Outside AC Unit Not Turning On: What Next?
Ideally, one of these do-it-yourself steps will solve your issue and you can get back to comfort in cooled air again. If however you try everything and the outside AC unit is still not turning on, the problem might be something else, such as:
- sensor bulbs not working
- blown fuse on the AC control board
- system contactor not passing enough voltage
- faulty starting capacitor
- refrigerant low or leaking
- broken fan blade or motor
- dirty evaporator coils
- wiring issue in your home or office
For proper resolution, items such as these would require the attention of a licensed AC professional serving Oswego, Yorkville, Naperville, Aurora and Plainfield. An AC professional will have the knowledge and resources to both diagnose and correct the reason why your outside AC unit isn’t turning on.
Beyond connecting with your AC professional for a current solution, it’s also a great idea to schedule annual AC system inspection and maintenance. This will help ensure your system performs at its highest level as well as spot small problems before they become bigger ones.
Contact Us Today
Air Dynamics specializes in AC repair and maintenance for Oswego, Yorkville, Naperville, Aurora and Plainfield. If your outside AC unit isn’t turning on and you’ve tried everything you can to restart it, we would be glad to discuss your situation and help you arrive at the best solution. Simply give us a call at (630) 731-1550.
