Air Conditioner Not Working?

No one wants to lose their air conditioning on a hot summer day, but through our experience, we’ve found that a lot of times there is a simple solution. Before the weather really starts to heat up, get familiar with these tips to restore your cool air. If the problem is a simple one, you may be able to save yourself a service call.

If the cooling system runs, but there’s no cool air, do this:

• Shut off all power switches and check the condition of the air filter in your air handler (the part of the a/c system that’s inside your home). The filter may be clogged. Change/clean the air filter if it’s dirty. Clean filters mean lower bills because your cooling system will run more efficiently.
• Make sure your supply and return air grilles are open and unobstructed.

If the cooling system does NOT run, do this:

• Start with your thermostat. Make sure it is on the “cool” or “auto” setting. Also, is the temperature set about 5 degrees lower than room temperature? If you have a digital thermostat and the display screen is blank, you either need new batteries or the power supply has been interrupted.
• Check all power switches/sources for your a/c. A circuit may have tripped when the cooling system started up. Also check the disconnect switch in the box next to the outdoor condenser.
• Test other appliances or lights. There may have been a power outage in your neighborhood.

If you can’t find what’s wrong after taking these steps, call us so we can come out and diagnose the problem. Our expert air conditioning technicians will be happy to get you up and running again.

Of course, the best way to prevent problems is to ask us to do yearly preventive maintenance. Our Silver Cooling Plan covers the cost of your a/c tune-up, and also provides you with repair discounts in case a problem does occur.

We also encourage you to go to our a/c troubleshooting guide and bookmark it for future reference. The entire team at Needham wishes you a cool and happy summer!