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When dealing with warm days, there’s nothing worse than your air conditioning not working. Even as the weather gets cooler, you may find times where your house is abnormally warm from cooking or even running the dryer. If you find yourself in this situation, you can always call Cool Experts AC to fix it for you. Although, if you are looking for a quick fix, here are four reasons your AC is not cooling and how to fix it.

Four reasons why your AC may not be cooling are…

  • You need to change your thermostat batteries
  • A switch is off
  • A circuit breaker has tripped
  • A fuse has been blown

You Need To Replace Thermostat Batteries

A thermostat is a device that senses what temperature the surrounding air is and adjusts the temperature according to what you have your desired temperature set on. If a thermostat is out of batteries or the batteries are dead, you may find as though your AC is not working properly and the temperature is not adjusting properly.

Changing the batteries in your thermostat is generally pretty easy. In order to do this, first you need to take the entire front plate off of your thermostat by reaching the bottom lip and prying it apart.

The next step is to remove the old batteries out of your thermostat carefully. It is a good idea to make sure your batteries are not corroding before you touch them. If you see a white, crusty mixture on them, wear gloves before touching them to ensure the corrosive material does not get on your skin and dispose of them properly. To dispose of corroded batteries properly, you can either place them in a plastic bag and take them to a hazardous waste recycling center or contact your local recycling center and see if they accept batteries.

Once the batteries are removed and properly handled, find the proper type of batteries to place into the termostat. The battery you need could be a AA or AAA alkaline battery, a 9-volt battery or a 3-V lithium battery. The battery you are removing should say what type of battery it is on the side. If the battery was corroded and you do not want to examine it for safety reasons, it may say which type of battery is needed on the thermostat. If not, check the manual that was included when you purchased the unit.

Once the proper battery is located, place the batteries in the thermostat. There should be a picture of which side is placed where on the thermostat underneath where the batteries will be placed. Generally the negative side is placed on the springs or metal lip and the positive side is placed on the bare side. Once you have replaced the batteries, place the plate or front of the thermostat back on. Your thermostat should now be working, causing your air conditioner to kick back in.

A Switch is Off

There are two disconnect switches that you will need to check for. There is an indoor disconnect switch and an outdoor disconnect switch. Either one may have been accidentally bumped or hit, causing it to turn off and result in non working AC. Regardless of the reason behind how it happened, it is a good idea to check this.

To fix this problem, check both of the switches. If this is the issue, it is an easy fix and does not require anymore troubleshooting. Examine the switches and see if they are turned on or off. If they are off, turn them back on. If they are still on, try turning them off and back on again.

Your disconnect switch may look like this:

Or like this:

Or even perhaps, like this:

A Circuit Breaker Has Tripped

Sometimes your breakers may trip because they are overloaded. This can happen when you have too many items using electricity on and running at once. If your breaker that is connected to your HVAC system trips, it can cause it not to function properly. To fix this, turn off the breakers. Once the breakers are turned off, turn them back on again. See if your AC is functioning properly now.

Steps for checking a breaker are:

  • Turn off and unplug anything electrical
  • Find your breaker box
  • Open panel
  • Located the breaker that controls your HVAC system
  • Turn the breaker from the “off” position to the “on” position
  • If breaker is in the “on” position, urn the breaker to the “off” position, then back “on”

If you do not feel comfortable operating the breaker box, you can always call and ask an expert for help. You are generally safe when checking the breakers, but we understand that not everyone will want to do this.

A Fuse Has Been Blown

An easy way to think about a blown fuse is to think about having a bad battery. The fuse is necessary for your HVAC system and air conditioner to work properly. Unlike the last few examples, a blown fuse is not as simple to check. Some signs that you may have a blown fuse are:

  • Your air conditioner is not working
  • You hear a light humming noise

If you have knowledge and experience in the HVAC field, this may be an easy fix for you. You can use a voltmeter or examine the filament in the fuse to see if it is busted.If you are not familiar with the field of HVAC, that is okay too. Call an experienced technician to fix the problem.

There are many reasons as to why your air conditioning might not be working properly. These were just four of the reasons, but others may include a blown transformer, needing new starting components, dirty coils, dirty filter and more. There are many ways to check for these various and possible issues with your unit, but when in doubt, always refer to the experts. Call Cool Experts AC at 972-954-4773 for Dallas and 972-954-4773 for Irving with any questions or to set up an appointment!

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