HeatCoolCheck (888) 217-3739

An independent referral line for homeowners in Vineland, NJ and the towns around it.

Vineland, NJ

The air conditioner blows warm and the outdoor unit is quiet

The indoor side runs and the outdoor unit never starts, or the breaker trips again as soon as it is pushed back in. A breaker that will not hold is reporting a fault in the circuit or in the equipment, and it is the one thing here not worth testing twice.

(888) 217-3739

Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Why resetting it again makes it worse

A breaker is not a nuisance switch. It opened because something drew more current than the circuit allows, and a reset sends that current back into whatever caused it.

A compressor that cannot start is the usual reason. Against a failed capacitor it draws locked-rotor current for as long as it is allowed to try. Reset it enough times and a one-part repair becomes the compressor as well, which on an older system is most of the machine.

If the breaker holds and the unit still does nothing, the fault sits elsewhere: the disconnect at the wall, a contactor not pulling in, a blown low-voltage fuse on the board, or a float switch under the air handler that shut the system down because water is not draining.

What the visit involves

A technician starts outside at the disconnect and the contactor, then the capacitor, then what the condenser fan and the compressor draw against the ratings on the plate. A fan motor that hums without turning and a compressor that will not start sound alike from the yard, and a meter tells them apart in a minute.

The low-voltage side comes next if the high-voltage side is clean: the thermostat wiring, the fuse on the board, and whether the call for cooling reaches the contactor.

What to say when you call

  • Whether the breaker holds, trips at once, or trips after a few minutes
  • Whether the outdoor fan turns at all, or hums without turning
  • Roughly when the system was installed, and the brand off the data plate
  • Your address and ZIP code, and whether a gate or a dog stands between the truck and the unit

Common questions

How many times can it be reset? Once, to see whether it holds. A breaker that trips a second time has answered the question, and off is the correct state until someone looks at the circuit.

Could it be the thermostat? A thermostat fault leaves the outdoor unit silent with the breaker perfectly happy. Tripping is an electrical event, and it belongs to the circuit or the equipment on it.

Is it safe to leave the breaker off? Yes. Off is the safe position, and nothing is harder for the technician for finding it already isolated.

Say what the system is doing. Call to check today's availability in your ZIP code.

(888) 217-3739

Related

AC repair in VinelandAir is coming out of the vents but the house is not cooling

Other things people call about

A grinding noise that started this weekMetal on metal from the furnace, and it changes when the system cycles. What that points at on a blower or inducer motor, and what to say when you call.
Air is coming out of the vents but the house is not coolingAir moves at the registers but it is room temperature. What tells a failed capacitor from a refrigerant leak, and what to have ready when you call.
The furnace lights, then shuts off a minute laterThe burner catches, runs a minute and drops out, over and over. What short cycling points at on a gas furnace, and what to say when you call.
The furnace will not run and the house is getting colderThe thermostat is calling for heat and nothing at the furnace is running. What that means on a gas furnace, and what to have ready when you call.
The gas utility shut off the furnace and left a tag on itThe valve is closed and the tag stays on. Heat comes back after a licensed contractor corrects the fault and the utility relights the appliance.
There is a burning smell the first time the heat runsDust burning off the heat exchanger clears in about twenty minutes. A smell that lasts, or smells of hot plastic, is a different call altogether.
There is water standing under the indoor unitA cooling system pulls gallons of water out of humid air each day. Standing water indoors means it is not leaving by the drain. What to say when you call.

Service areas

Vineland (West) 08360Vineland (East) 08361Millville 08332Bridgeton 08302Williamstown 08094Elmer 08318Franklinville 08322Clayton 08312Newfield 08344Monroeville 08343Malaga 08328Port Norris 08349

Updated

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