You’d be surprised how many calls we get and it turns out the breaker tripped or the batteries in the thermostat need to be replaced. Always check the circuit breakers for the home to make sure one hasn’t tripped, this is easy to miss because power could be on in other parts of the home. Ideally the HVAC system will be on its own circuit, but sometimes it’s shared. Many of the new thermostats are battery operated and if the batteries are dead, the thermostat won’t work. Double check to make sure that the thermostat is set correctly too.

Whole home heating and cooling units rely on filters to remove debris and dust from the air so they can work properly. Sometimes if a filter hasn’t been changed regularly, it can cause the ac unit to breakdown. Make sure you change your filter monthly to avoid any interruptions.

If you have opened your air conditioner equipment covers trying to do maintenance or to see if there is any damage, you may have forgotten a latch or not closed the cover completely. This will trip the unit so it won’t work. It is a safety measure built into many HVAC systems. Sometimes this feature is also under the pan, and if you bump it, you could engage the safety switch. In this case simply close the cover, door or reset the safety switch and your unit should be back up and running.

Go outside and listen to your unit. If it isn’t cycling on, check to make sure the cage is securely fastened or the power switch hasn’t been turned off. If this unit isn’t running, it’s a sure sign there is a larger issue with your air conditioning unit.

If the drain line gets clogged, condensation can back up into the ac unit causing it to shut off. Check the drain pan to see if there is condensation coming from the drain line. Visually inspect the line to make sure there isn’t a clog blocking most of it. Flush the line with a cap full of bleach to kill any growing algae. Do this monthly too.