It is generally recommended to reset your AC after a power outage, even if it seems to be operating as it should.
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To reset the air-con, turn the thermostat off, locate the cooling unit’s breaker and flip it to ‘off’ and then to ‘on’, turn the thermostat back on, and double-check its settings. It will usually take an air conditioner about 30 minutes to reset its internal circuity.
How to Reset Air Conditioner After Power Outage?
An air conditioner can be reset in quite a few ways – with the help of a reset button, the thermostat, an isolator switch, or the circuit breaker.
However, if you need to reboot your cooling unit after a power outage, then going with the latter option is advised.
- First, turn your AC thermostat off. In such a case, the device will not be attempting to ask the unit for cooling, while you’re resetting the system.
- Power surges usually overload the circuit and this can result in a tripped breaker. Locate your AC breaker, flip it to ‘off’, and then back to ‘on’.
- Now you should give the air conditioner at least 30 minutes so that it has a chance to reset its internal circuity.
- After that, turn the thermostat back on and to ‘cool’ mode. Ensure the temperature is set to at least 5 degrees lower than the current room temperature.
- If your AC didn’t kick in after all these steps, then you might have to call an HVAC technician.
How Do You Manually Reset an Air Conditioner?
If your AC unit has an isolator switch, flipping it to ‘off’, and back to ‘on’ in 5 seconds would be enough to reboot the cooling system.
Where Is the Reset Button on My AC Unit?
The air conditioners that feature a reset button would usually have it at the bottom of the outdoor unit.
Read: Why Window Air Conditioner All Lights Flashing And Beeping
How Long Does It Take for AC Unit to Reset?
Some experts recommend waiting for at least 30 minutes before turning the cooling system back on at the circuit breaker. This is not obligatory, and your AC might end up working perfectly fine even if you don’t give it this extra half an hour.
However, you should not expect your air conditioner to immediately start cooling the house after a reset. In fact, the unit might need another 30 minutes to get back to normal operation (especially, if a power outage took place).
All in all, it might take your air-con up to an hour to reset.
Read: Why Air Conditioner Is Not Heating?
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How Long Does It Take for AC to Come Back on After Power Outage?
Your air conditioner might not be able to come back on after a power outage without your help.
If the breaker tripped, you would have to flip it back to ‘on’. Only after that, the air-con would be able to come back on, but this will typically take half an hour or so.
How Do I Know If My AC Has Power?
- Make sure that all the other appliances in the house that need electricity have turned back on after the power outage.
- Check the breakers – make sure that none of them have tripped.
- Take a look at the thermostat settings – your AC will not kick in, if the set temperature is not low enough or if the thermostat is not set to ‘cool’.
- If you feel confident working with electricity, then you can check if the AC is receiving power with a multimeter.
Why Is My AC Not Working After Power Outage?
The power outage might have caused one of the breakers to trip. In such a case, your air conditioner won’t start working, until you flip the breaker back on (you should perform a simple reset that we talked about earlier).
Unfortunately, a power surge might cause damage to the unit’s capacitor or motor. Resetting the AC won’t make a difference, if that’s the issue – the only way to get the unit to work again is by replacing the elements that have gone bad.
Read: Why Air Conditioner Not Blowing Cold Air But Running?
Window AC Not Working After Power Outage
If you have already tried unplugging the unit and then plugging it back in and you’ve checked the circuit breaker, then one of the following malfunctions can be to blame:
- A failed capacitor – a power surge might have damaged the capacitor; if the capacitor has blown, the unit can start leaking an oily liquid
- A failed compressor – without a properly operating compressor, the cooling unit won’t be able to circulate the refrigerant through the system
- The fan motor can also start malfunctioning after a power outage, but a failed capacitor or compressor are more common issues
AC Froze Up After Power Outage
If your AC has frozen and you have recently gone through a power outage, then it looks like the surge affected the compressor.
This element is responsible for compressing the refrigerant, if it goes bad, nothing will be pumping the refrigerant through the system and the coils will simply freeze.
Mini Split Not Working After Power Outage
A blown fuse or issues with the transformer might be to blame.
Mini-splits are the kind of cooling equipment that is especially susceptible to power surges, so installing some kind of surge protection is definitely worth it.
How Do I Know If My AC Breaker Is Tripped?
If your AC breaker has tripped, your unit won’t be working.
Go to your circuit breaker box and find the breaker that is responsible for the cooling system – if it’s in an ‘off’ or ‘neutral’ position, then it has tripped.
Air Conditioner Auto Restart After Power Failure
Some air conditioners are equipped with an auto restart in case of a power failure. If the unit was in the ON position before the power outage, it will resume its normal operation as soon as power gets restored (that is if the breaker didn’t get tripped, of course).
Read: Why Air Conditioner Heat Mode Not Working?
Should I Turn Off AC When Power Goes Out?
Turning off your air conditioner and any other electrical appliance during a power outage is definitely advised. This will help make sure that the equipment does not get damaged by a voltage surge.
How Do You Reset a Thermostat After a Power Outage?
If your thermostat is not working after a power outage, try resetting the device. If the thermostat is battery-operated, you can insert the batteries backward for a few seconds.
If that didn’t help, then check the circuit breaker box for a tripped breaker and make sure that there are no blown fuses.
Can a Power Outage Damage an AC Unit?
Any appliance that uses electricity can get damaged during a power outage. There are plenty of elements inside a cooling unit that won’t be able to survive a voltage surge.
The AC’s motor, compressor, and capacitor can get damaged and all these things are quite expensive to replace.
To protect the equipment in case of a power outage, you might want to consider investing in a surge protector. Also, don’t forget to turn the unit off if the power in your house ever goes out.
Read: Why Does Air Conditioner Run At The Same Time As A Furnace?
What Will Happen When We Press Restart Button?
A reset button makes your cooling system turn off completely and then restart. In some cases, a reset can help eliminate minor HVAC issues.