When your air conditioner first stops working, you may feel panicked and want to call right away for repairs. Before you do, go through a basic set of troubleshooting steps to see if there’s a simple issue behind why the AC won’t work:

• Set your thermostats properly in your home.
• Examine the electrical panel to see if the circuit breaker for the AC has tripped. This can happen when the air conditioner runs longer than it normally has to.
• Change the air filter on the HVAC cabinet if it’s dirty and then see if the air conditioner will run.

Please don’t try to open up either cabinet of the AC to see if you can repair the system on your own. This can make the situation worse. Once you’ve exhausted troubleshooting problems, the next step is to call us for repairs.

Shutters & Blinds Should Be Closed

If the AC fails during the middle of the day (the most likely scenario), shutter or blinds all the windows to your house that can let in the radiant heat from sunlight. As long as you cover the windows to block sunlight, you can keep the windows open to allow air in. This will significantly reduce heat inside your home.

Turn Off All Appliances That Use Heat

This includes lights! You don’t want to add extra heat to the home if it’s not necessary. Shut off entertainment systems, monitors, etc. Don’t do any loads of wash (which will also send humidity into the air) and avoid using the stove or oven. This is a time to rely on cold food, not cooking. Make this the time for sandwiches!

Make An At-Home Evaporative Cooler

This sounds complex, but it’s actually easy if you have room fans and some ice cubes in the freezer. Place the ice cubes in a bowl, then place the bowl in front of the fan. As the air blows over the ice, it will lose heat and you’ll receive genuinely cooler air for a good stretch.

Cover Open Windows With Damp Towels

Here’s an old-fashioned method of cooling the inside of a building that goes back to ancient Egypt, when hanging wet reeds over windows helped people stay cool. Wet down a towel with cold water from the sink and then drape it before an open window. The air coming in will be cooler thanks to the evaporative cooling effect from the water.

We hope this helps you and your family keep your “cool” until we get your AC fixed.

Contact Precision Tech To Fix All AC Issues

We can provide some information on how to stay cool for the time being, but the best solution is to contact a Precision Tech HVAC professional.

It is very important that you get professional air conditioning done to avoid issues in the future.

Contact Precision Tech Home Services for an estimate or call at (732)-391-6401.