After the storm
Restart your air conditioner in this order
Thunderstorms leave power surges, flooded yards and flying debris. Most of the damage to an air conditioner comes from switching it on too soon.
This page is general guidance. Your owner's manual and your utility come first. If anything below is unclear, call before you flip a switch.
The restart
Five steps, five minutes
Do them in order. None of them needs a tool.
- 01
Step 1: Look at the outdoor unit
Walk around it. Standing water, a fallen branch, a leaning cabinet or a smell of burning means you stop here and call us. Do not touch it.
- 02
Step 2: Set the thermostat to Off
A system that starts up the moment the power returns can be hurt by a surge that follows it.
- 03
Step 3: Check the breaker
If the air conditioner's breaker tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off. Never try a wet panel.
- 04
Step 4: Wait
Let the power hold for a while, then wait at least five more minutes before the next step.
- 05
Step 5: Turn it on and listen
Cool air within a few minutes and a steady hum is good. Buzzing, clicking, humming without a fan turning, a burning smell or ice means off, then call.
Leave it off
Call before you restart if
These need a tech and sometimes an electrician first.
Water reached the unit
Floodwater that touched the outdoor unit or the air handler can ruin the motor and the board.
A tree limb or debris hit it
A bent fan guard or cabinet can throw the fan out of balance and cut the wiring.
A lightning strike nearby
Surges can fry the thermostat, the board or the compressor without a mark you can see.
The breaker keeps tripping
Something is shorted or locked. Each reset makes it worse.
A burning smell or sparks
Switch it off at the thermostat and the disconnect and keep everyone away from it.
Water inside the house
A backed-up drain pan floods ceilings once the system runs again.
When we come
What we check on a storm call
We write down what we find, so you have it for yourself or for your insurer.
Power and surge damage
Breaker, disconnect, wiring, capacitors, board and thermostat.
Water and debris
Coil, fan, cabinet, drain line and pan, and the pad the unit sits on.
Airflow and drain
Whether the air handler, the filter and the line shed water the way they should.
Calls the night of a storm
Who answers, and what a night visit costs
When half of Pasco County has lost power, everyone needs the same truck.
Who picks up
During office hours, the dispatcher. After hours, the on-call tech returns your call, usually from the truck.
The order we go in
Calls with water at the unit or a smell of burning first, then no cooling for a household with a health need, then the rest in the order the calls came in. We tell you the wait honestly.
What a night visit costs
An after-hours visit carries a higher visit fee than a daytime one. We tell you the amount on the phone before we send anyone, and the repair is quoted in writing before we start.
Questions
Storm questions
How long should I wait before I turn the AC back on after a power cut?
Set the thermostat to Off, wait until the power has stayed on, then wait at least five more minutes before you turn it back on. The wait lets the pressures in the system settle. It protects the compressor, which is the part that costs the most.
The storm is over. Can I hose the outdoor unit off?
Only with the power to the unit switched off at the disconnect, and only with a gentle spray from outside in. Never spray a running unit, and never use a pressure washer on the fins. If you are not sure where the disconnect is, call and we will tell you what to look for.
What if my home was flooded?
Leave the system off. Do not restart it until a tech has checked the outdoor unit, the air handler and the wiring. Water and electricity are the dangerous pair here, and a wet electrical panel is a job for an electrician and your utility.
Will a surge protector save the unit?
A whole-home surge protector installed by an electrician can help. It will not cover a direct strike. Ask your electrician about it; we will say if a unit looks like it needs one.
Do you help with insurance claims?
We write down what we found and take photos when you ask. We do not file the claim or tell you what your policy covers.
Not sure it's safe to restart?
Call. We would rather answer a quick question
If something on this page doesn't match what you see, stop and call.
Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. After hours, the on-call tech returns your call.