When your air conditioner won't turn on, you should look for obvious causes, such as a tripped breaker or a power switch that's been turned off. If you don't find an obvious reason why your AC won't work, it's time to call an air conditioning repair service for help. Here are some problems they might find that keep your AC from working.

1. A Triggered Or Bad Float Switch

If your air conditioner has a float switch in the condensation pan, the switch may have shut the AC down. The purpose of the switch is to keep the pan from filling with water and overflowing. Without the safety switch, the air handler or your floor could be damaged by water.

When a switch is present, it triggers the AC to shut down if the level of water in the drain pan gets too high. The water could get too high because the drain line is clogged or because of a problem with the pump that moves water out of the pan. The air conditioning repair person has to figure out why the float switch was triggered and make repairs such as clearing out a drain clog or putting in a new pump so the switch starts working properly again. The switch itself could even be bad, and in that case, the switch has to be replaced.

2. The Thermostat Is Bad

If the thermostat can't get a signal to the AC to turn on, then your air conditioner won't operate as it should. If your thermostat is old, it may be time for the air conditioning repair professional to install a new one for you. However, the problem could be bad wiring or bad connections.

The thermostat has wiring that connects to the control board in the air handler, and wiring that goes to the contactor outside in the condenser. The repair person may need to trace the wiring to look for damage or loose connections so the thermostat is able to control your AC properly.

3. The AC Fuse Is Blown

Your air conditioner has fuses located in the small disconnect box mounted near the condenser. These are separate and different from the circuit breaker panel. When a fuse blows the condenser won't turn on, which means your home won't get any cool air.

An air conditioning fuse is fairly easy to exchange with a new one. However, the problem lies in figuring out why the fuse blew. The air conditioning repair technician will need to troubleshoot the equipment and fix the faulty part or the new fuse will blow too. Contact an AC repair service to learn more.