Is Your Home's Air Conditioner Not Turning On? Know What To Do

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As the weather starts getting warmer outside, you may find that it is time to finally turn your air conditioner back on for the year after its winter slumber. However, you may run into an issue where the air conditioner simply isn't turning on, leaving you wondering what could be wrong with it. Here is what you can do to fix a common problem with air conditioners.

Power Down The Unit

Start by making sure that the power is turned off to the air conditioner. You can do this by shutting off the breaker going to your air conditioner, which is often done by pulling out a breaker from a box next to the outdoor unit. You also need to shut down the unit at the thermostat as well since that can also send a slight voltage to the air conditioner that you would rather not deal with.

Remove The Door

The door to the air conditioner unit will be held in place with several screws. Get out your electric screwdriver to easily remove all of these screws so that the door will easily pop off the unit. Make sure to put all those screws in a safe place so that you do not use them.

Check For Wiring Damage

What you want to first check for is wiring damage, which can easily be caused by pests that got into the air conditioner and made a home out of it during the winter. If you see wires that have been chewed through or are damaged along with signs of mice being in the space, this is likely the problem that you have.

Check The Capacitor

A common part that breaks down in an air conditioner is the capacitor. You may easily notice a problem with it because the side of the capacitor is bubbled up rather than completely flat. You can actually check the capacitor yourself by using a voltage meter. You simply use the meter to form a circuit by touching both terminals, and the meter will tell you the voltage that is flowing through the device. If it matches the voltage indicated on the side of the capacitor, then you know that it is working properly. If it is below the listed voltage, then you know that a new capacitor is necessary.

Need help figuring out what is wrong with your air conditioner? Reach out to an AC repair professional for assistance. 


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