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How to Shut Down Your AC When the Thermostat Doesn’t Work

Your thermostat is supposed to send signals to your air conditioner telling it to turn on or power down, depending on if the temperature you set has been achieved. But what happens when the thermostat is on the fritz?

Your AC can just keep running with no end in sight. This is horrible for wear and tear, and runs through a lot of power as well. You need air conditioning repair in Orlando, FL, but in the meantime, we’ll teach you how to turn off your AC so it doesn’t run endlessly.

The Central Air Circuit Switch

Your air conditioner has an outdoor cabinet. That’s where the compressor and condenser are, and just outside of your AC, there should be a switch. Sometimes it’s in a flip box attached to the outside of your home.

This switch controls the power that goes to your air conditioner. You can shut this off, and if all goes well, it will power down your air conditioner. If it stops making noise, the switch works.

Go inside and double-check that it’s off by putting your hand over the vents. If there’s no air coming out, it’s off. Now it’s time to call a technician to repair it.

Shut Off Your AC at the Breaker

You have a circuit breaker inside your home that can be used to shut off power to various outlets and sections of your house. It has a metal door on the front and a latch.

When you open it up, there are switches inside that should flip horizontally. These have labels on them to let you know what they control in your home. At least, they do if your electrician did their job correctly.

Turning off the switch that’s labeled for your air conditioner should shut down the whole AC unit without a problem. This disrupts power to the air conditioner, but if for some reason it doesn’t, there’s another problem at play.

Should I Alter the Wiring to Shut Down My AC?

Under no circumstances should you touch any wiring within the air conditioner. There are forum posts and tutorials online that show you how, and may show up in search results beside our post, but you should never touch the wiring inside your AC.

Unless you’re a certified electrician or a knowledgeable HVAC technician, touching the wiring inside adds an unnecessary hazard. Always contact a certified technician to handle this task unless you have the know-how, tools, and training to do it on your own.

It’s Shut Down, Now What?

Call for repairs. The next step is to get a technician to your home and inform them of exactly how you shut down the air conditioner. That way they can take the necessary precaution when addressing it themselves.

Your AC is shut down, but now it can’t be turned back on until it’s fixed. Don’t hesitate or wait until tomorrow–this constitutes an emergency air conditioning repair.

Contact Facemyer Air Conditioning and Heating today to schedule your AC repair as quickly as possible.

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