Trouble Shooting Your Air Conditioner

It's warming up in Middle Tennessee which means it's time to turn our furnaces off and turn that air conditioner ON!

You've been waiting for this day since November when you reluctantly said goodbye to the cool temps indoors and replaced it with your furnace and fireplace. You walk to that thermostat, flip the switch to ON, and wait.

And you wait some more. Nothing.

Your air conditioner won't turn on! What could be the problem, you think? Sweat starts to form on your brow thinking about the costly repair. Before you panic, try a few of these steps first!

Most central AC systems are on a separate circuit breaker, often a double switch. Many people flip this circuit breaker off at the start of the heating season, to prevent someone from accidentally starting the AC unit at a time when cooling is never needed. So first things first: check that the circuit breaker is turned on.

If it is turned on, turn it off then back on (sometimes the switch has tripped but is close enough to the on position that it seems to be on already). This is one of the most common air conditioning problems so before you make a call, check your circuit breaker!

If either the panel breaker or the compressor breaker circuit trips off after you try using the AC again, do not flip it back on – call a qualified technician at South Nashville Heating and Cooling. There may be a serious electrical problem that needs to be looked at by a professional.

If you have a combined central AC and forced air furnace system, the circuit that feeds your furnace should also be on, because the furnace fan needs to run to circulate the cooled air. Check this circuit as well, using the same process of turning the breaker off and back on.

Another thing you can check is to make sure the fan is running. If you set the fan setting on your thermostat to “on” instead of “auto”, you should hear the furnace fan start to run even if the air conditioner doesn’t turn on. If the fan doesn’t turn on, this is an indication no current is getting to your furnace.

Also, try setting your thermostat as low as it can go - it’s possible that the thermostat controls are not working properly.

If you're exhausted all of these options, your best bet is to call the professionals at South Nashville Heating And Cooling. We've been installing quality air conditioning units for more than 30 years in the Middle Tennessee area! We also have trained professionals on staff available 24/7.

Give us a call today at 615-834-1636! Be sure to visit us HERE and sign up for our special offers and savings!