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Lionel Boulin • Aug 25, 2021

Troubleshooting an Outdoor AC Unit That Won’t Turn On

Sometimes your air conditioner’s indoor unit may appear to be running like usual, but might not be blowing cold air because the outdoor unit seems to be turned off. If your air conditioner has the same problem, read on as one of the leading  home heating companies  in Rockville, Home Air Services, shares a quick troubleshooting guide.

How to Troubleshoot the Outdoor AC Unit

When troubleshooting your HVAC system, always start with the thermostat. Make sure it’s not accidentally set to “cool” instead of “auto”. The former sets the HVAC temperature a few degrees higher than your default setting, which can leave the outdoor unit in its “off” state for longer than usual. Reset the thermostat if you haven’t done so, and replace the batteries if needed.

Sometimes the outdoor unit can fall out of sync with the indoor unit, or the circuit breaker may have been tripped. Either situation can cause the outdoor unit to stop working, which means you have to reset the circuit breaker from the panel or from its own circuit breaker located near the unit. During  air conditioner maintenance , your HVAC technician should already have pointed out how to reset a dedicated air conditioner. If you’re troubleshooting a mini-split system, you should feel cool air coming from the indoor unit within minutes of restarting the system. With a whole-home system, it may take longer before you feel cool air coming from it.

Should You Call an HVAC Technician?

If restarting your air conditioner doesn’t resolve the problem, you may be looking at a fan malfunction, a broken compressor or a leak in the refrigerant line. In such cases, stop troubleshooting the air conditioner and call your HVAC technician. You’ll have to turn the air conditioner off at the circuit breaker until after your HVAC technician has inspected it and performed any repairs. If you don’t, continuing to use the air conditioner may result in increased wear on the air conditioning system and higher energy consumption.

Home Air Services is one of the leading HVAC and  duct cleaning companies  serving Rockville and the surrounding communities. Give us a call at (301) 585-8100 or (301) 812-3906. You can also fill out our  contact form  to schedule an appointment.

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