Air Conditioner Not Working? Try These Tips First

This post is brought to you from the miserable land of no A/C. Yep -- after arriving home last night from the DeWALT tool launch (more on that soon), my husband confronted me with the bad news: our A/C is out.

Coincidentally, this is happening during the hottest weekend so far in Kansas City. We lease a loft, so I've got a call into our maintenance department. In the meantime, however, I decided to research common A/C issues and found a few tips that may help if you're experiencing a similar situation. Give these a try before you call in a repair person -- you just may save a bundle of money (and your sanity!)

1. Check your thermostat. Some thermostats are battery-operated, so switch out your batteries for fresh ones.

2. Check fuses and reset buttons. You can try resetting the air conditioner's fuse at your electrical box. Inspect your air conditioner to see if it has a reset button, which can also act as a fuse.

3. Patience. If your air conditioner isn't working after a power outage or a blown circuit breaker, turn everything off and wait 15-20 minutes. It takes about this long for an A/C unit to power back on after a tripped circuit. Then try powering everything back on and see if that kicks the air conditioner in gear.

4. Research your specific model. Consult an instruction manual or Google your air conditioner model to see if you can find specific instructions that may fit your particular unit. You may find additional troubleshooting tips to try that may solve the problem.

If all else fails, you just might have to call a repair professional. In the meantime, use my method: lots of ice water, sitting still and turning on every fan you own. Plus, you can enjoy this guilt-free reason to indulge in ice cream and other refreshing treats.

If you have any tips or stories to share about a broken air conditioner, I'd love to commiserate. Feel free to leave a comment below!

Photo: Flickr.com/rykneethling

Katy Ryan | Comments () |

Darry liorio

One summer our AC just went off. I wasn’t at home so my wife was kinda impatient being in the situation. She remembered a few things that I taught her, but she was so hesitant to try. And when I got home, I found out that it was just the battery. . . Anyway, to avoid such circumstances, it would be best to have a well-maintained HVAC. Clearing the air and heat ways clear your worries away too.

Naoki Dieter

It’s also better to conduct further research about the common problems of AC units. That way, owners will be ready to tend to those problems without panic. It would also be nice to set up your rooms for better ventilation.

Mechteld Abelli

Yes, researching you AC unit's model is a great idea. Learning all the functions of your AC is a great way to know what parts might be the root of the problem. If you’ve done all that and still have problems with your unit, it’s time to give the job up to the experts.

Dell Ledermann

If you've followed all these tips and your air-conditioner is still not working, the last resort would be to consult a technician. This is to make sure that things do get solved. =)

Sherilyn Mosley

Definitely agree with exactly what you wrote. Your explanation was undoubtedly the simplest to understand.

SHale

swamp cooler. Tape off a portion of house and hook up the swamp cooler. Good for two story houses where you can tape off the upstairs and just cool the lower lever.

Danny Welsh

Great tips in dealing with the A/C not working. In my experience tip# 2 was the most frequently used in solving my situation. Great share and keep them coming.

TabathaM

We're on summer 2.5 of no working A/C. We've stalked Craigslist for window units and have had gracious friends loan or gift us oscillating fans for where we don't have a window unit. Making sure we have ones in the kids' rooms upstairs has helped a lot -- so has having a ceiling fan at the top of the stairs to help push the cool air down. Also, sometimes, you just have to leave the house, even if it's just to the front yard with the garden hose. It's not ideal (and the electric bill CERTAINLY isn't) but it's working for now until we can afford to get our unit replaced. Ugh.
Meanwhile, cook outside a lot, use things like cucumber and dill in your dishes, and wear sweat-wicking clothing. That's the best I've got for you :)

Charles & Hudson

Whoah! You all are serious energy savers. I hear it gets hot in Dayton though.

TabathaM

True story. We definitely have all four seasons here, humidity included. Oy.