What to Do When Your AC Fan is Not Turning On

Above you will find a helpful video intended for people with a mechanical background. If you decide to go this in depth, remember to cut the power and discharge the run capacitor (not doing so can result in electrical shock or even death.)

Below are a few things that anybody can check before calling an AC repair company.

 

Make Sure the Thermostat is Set to “Cool” & Check All Breakers

Most repairman will check these first, as this ends up being the solution more than you might think. They’ll still want to collect for the Service Call since they’ve come out, so checking these is worth your time.

You’ll want to make your thermostat is set to “cool,” and that the temperature setting is at least 5 degrees below the indoor temperature. Put another way: just because you’ve turned it “on” doesn’t mean it will turn on. It has to have work to do before it will turn on.

Look for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker

If there was a power surge, your air conditioner might have blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker.

TIP: Your Air Conditioner May Have TWO Breakers

• Your main electrical panel. Go to your homes breaker panel and find the breaker labeled AC or Air Conditioner, then flip it to “off” position and then back to “on”. In some breaker panels, a tripped breaker isn’t easy to spot, so flip it no matter what.
• At the shutoff box near the AC — Some models of air conditioners have a fuse at the shutoff box. Try replacing this fuse.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If one of these methods fixes the problem, but only temporarily, you’ll want to give us a call. Your air conditioner may be pulling too much electricity, short circuiting or overheating (the later two are serious problems).

 

 

Check the Emergency or Shut-Off Switch

Most air conditioners have a shut-off switch near the outside unit. It’s usually a gray metal box that’s hanging on your house. If someone has recently worked on the AC, they may have left it in the “off” position on accident.

 

Check the Inside Unit’s Power Switch

There’s usually a switch in your attic, closet, or crawl space near your furnace that can shut off power to your furnace and indoor blower.

This switch usually looks like a light switch, so sometimes people flip it to “off” out of habit. Turning the switch “off” turns off the blower and makes your entire AC system shut down.

Locate this switch and make sure it’s in the “on” position.

 

Look for Problems With Your Condensate Drain Line

When your air conditioner is working properly, it creates condensation. The condensation is removed from your home through the “Condensate Drain Line.

If this drain line ever becomes clogged, it will trip a safety switch that shuts down your air conditioner. Sometimes you can unclog the drain line using a wet/dry vacuum to suck out the blockage.

Some homeowners have a condensate drain pump, which pumps the water out of the home. So if the pump breaks, the same safety switch can get tripped.

If you try all these things, and it’s still now working, remember that you still have the video above to check out. If nothing works, or you just don’t want to mess with it, we’re available 24 hours a day in the Phoenix metro.