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AC broke down? Here is what actually matters in the first hour.
Before you do anything else, work through this list. It takes five minutes and it is the difference between a simple fix and a much more expensive night.
- Check the breaker panel for a tripped double-pole breaker, and check for a disconnect switch or blown fuse near the outdoor unit.
- Check the thermostat: dead batteries, a tripped display, or a schedule that got changed are common and free to fix.
- If the system is running but the coil, vents or a line is iced over, turn it off or set it to fan only. Do not let a frozen system keep running.
- If you smell gas, see smoke, or hear grinding or screeching, shut the system off at the breaker and call a technician immediately.
- Once the easy checks are done, shift to the steps below: conserve energy, keep the house cool, and protect food and medication while you wait.
None of that worked, or you would rather not troubleshoot it yourself? Call 352-290-2665 or use the form above and I will call you back.
Keep the house cool without power
Every degree you keep the house from heating up now is a degree you are not fighting to remove later.
- Close blinds and blackout curtains on every window that gets direct sun, especially west-facing rooms in the afternoon.
- Point box fans and ceiling fans to move air, not just spin. A fan blowing across your skin cools you even when the room temperature is not dropping.
- Close doors and vents to rooms you are not using so any remaining cool air stays concentrated where people actually are.
- Skip the oven, stove and clothes dryer. Grill outside, order in, or eat something that does not need cooking.
- Once it is cooler outside than inside, usually after sunset, open windows on opposite sides of the house to cross-ventilate.
- A damp towel around the neck or a spray bottle of cool water does more for comfort than people expect, especially for kids and older adults.
- Unplug anything that generates heat and is not in use: extra chargers, game consoles, a second refrigerator in a hot garage.
Protect food and medication from spoiling
Food in a closed refrigerator is safe for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds safe temperature for about 48 hours, or 24 hours if it is only half full. Keep the doors shut.
- Open the fridge and freezer as little as possible. Every open door lets warm, humid air in and shortens the safe window.
- If it looks like power or cooling will be out longer than a few hours, group perishables together with bags of ice or frozen gel packs.
- A cooler packed with ice buys real time for the essentials: milk, meat, leftovers, and anything already opened.
- When in doubt, throw it out. Perishable food held above 40°F for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) should not be eaten.
- Temperature-sensitive medications like insulin need special attention. Most can tolerate room temperature for a limited time, but check the package insert or call the pharmacy, and use a cooler with ice packs if you are unsure.
- If you have a portable AC, window unit or a generator running a fan, prioritize the kitchen and any room with medication over the rest of the house.
Set up a generator safely
A generator can keep a window unit, fans or the refrigerator running, but it can also kill you if it is set up wrong. Read this section before you start one.
Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, on a porch, or near a window
Generators produce carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas that can be fatal in minutes at high concentrations. Run it outdoors only, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and point the exhaust away from the house, even with a garage door or window open. Install carbon monoxide detectors in the home if you do not already have them.
- Size it to the startup surge, not just the running load. Air conditioner and refrigerator compressors draw two to three times their running wattage for a moment when they start.
- Never connect a portable generator directly into your home's wiring or a wall outlet. Backfeeding the panel can electrocute utility workers repairing the line and can damage your own electrical system. Use a properly installed transfer switch, or run individual appliances on heavy-duty extension cords rated for outdoor use.
- Keep the generator dry and on level ground, and never refuel it while it is running or still hot.
- Store gasoline in approved containers, away from the house and out of direct sun, and rotate it periodically since stored fuel degrades.
- A whole-home standby generator with an automatic transfer switch is the safest long-term option if outages are a recurring problem in your area. A licensed electrician handles the installation, not a homeowner.
- No generator? A car battery jump pack or power station can run fans and charge phones for a while and carries none of the carbon monoxide risk.
Protect kids, older adults, anyone with health conditions, and pets
Heat stress builds faster than people expect, especially for infants, older adults, anyone with heart or lung conditions, and pets who cannot cool themselves the way we do.
- Watch for heat exhaustion signs: heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea, and cool clammy skin. Move the person somewhere cooler, give water, and apply a cool damp cloth.
- Heat stroke is a medical emergency: hot dry skin, confusion, a very high body temperature, or loss of consciousness. Call 911 immediately.
- Never leave a child, older adult or pet in a parked car, even briefly, even with windows cracked.
- Pets pant and pace when they are overheating. Give them a cool, shaded, well-ventilated spot with plenty of water, and limit exercise to early morning or evening.
- If the house cannot be kept reasonably cool and someone in it is heat-sensitive, do not tough it out. A library, mall, movie theater, or a relative's house is a legitimate short-term plan, not a failure.
- Marion County opens cooling centers during extreme heat advisories. Check Marion County Emergency Management or your local library and senior center for current hours.
Quick checks vs. when to call a professional
A few things are worth trying yourself. Past that, running a broken system or guessing at electrical work usually costs more than it saves.
- Safe to try: the breaker, thermostat batteries and settings, and swapping a visibly dirty one-inch filter for a clean one.
- Safe to try: switching the thermostat to fan only if the coil or a line is frozen, and letting it thaw for a few hours before running it again.
- Call a pro: burning smells, tripped breakers that trip again immediately, water pooling around the indoor unit, or the outdoor fan not spinning at all.
- Call a pro: the system is more than 10 to 12 years old and this is not its first repair this year. Repeated failures usually mean it is cheaper to replace than to keep patching.
- More detail on specific symptoms, pricing and how long repairs actually take is on the HVAC FAQ page and the AC repair page.
Still no cooling?
Call 352-290-2665. I will help you figure out whether this is a five-minute fix or a same-day repair before anyone drives out.