How to Restart Your AC After a Power Outage

Are you a bit hot under the collar? If you had a power outage during one of Arizona’s monstrous monsoons, the central AC may not have come back on.

So what do you do?

Follow these 5 steps to restart your AC safely and get your comfort back.

Step 1: Turn off your AC at the thermostat.

Go to your thermostat and set it to “off.”  This will stop your thermostat from calling your AC for cooling so you can reset the circuit breaker.

The next 2 steps can be challenging for some... In any case, George Brazil has 24hr HVAC service, that provides AC repairs to Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Scottsdale and more. (Psst, we have a coupon for $50 off any AC or heating repair.) Feel free to contact us: 

 

Step 2: Find the circuit breaker box

Most likely, a power surge from the storm overloaded the AC’s circuit, causing the circuit breaker to “trip.”  So you’ll need to reset it.

The circuit breaker box (a grey metalic box) is usually located in these areas:

• Garage
• Basement
• Closets
• Laundry room
• Exterior part of the home

Step 3: Reset the AC’s circuit breaker

Open the circuit breaker box and find the circuit that has an air conditioner/HVAC label next to it.

It’s OK if there’s no label. Just look for a switch that is “tripped,” meaning that’s it’s moved to the neutral position.

To reset the circuit breaker,  turn it to the “off” position (right), then the “on” position (left)

Step 4: Wait 30 minutes

Your AC needs some time to reset its internal circuit breaker. Drink a cold drink. Take a swim (probably not during the monsoon, though). Do whatever you need to do to stay cool.

Step 5: Turn the thermostat back to “cool” and celebrate

Head back to your thermostat, set it to cool and make sure the temperature setting is at least 5 degrees below the room temperature. The thermostat should call for cooling from the AC.

Now celebrate, because you just got your comfort back!

“Wait! My circuit breaker tripped again!”

If the breaker trips soon after you reset it, you have another issue you need to deal with first before attempting to reset the circuit breaker again.

Read more in our article: “Why is My Air Conditioner Tripping the Circuit Breaker?”

Is your air conditioner still not coming on?

If you followed our instructions and the AC is still not working, there may be an electrical issue with the AC.