First, the safety questions
- Does anyone smell burning or see smoke near the indoor unit or the outdoor unit? If yes: turn the system off at the thermostat, stay away from it, and call 911 if there is smoke or flame.
- Is anyone in the home elderly, an infant, pregnant, or on medical equipment, and how hot is it inside right now? If someone feels dizzy, confused or sick from the heat, call 911 first, then book the visit.
- Has the breaker for the AC tripped more than once? If yes, leave it off and tell the tech. Do not keep resetting it.
- Is water leaking from the indoor unit onto a ceiling, floor or near anything electrical? Turn the system off and tell the tech before they arrive.
Narrowing it down: the quick checks
- Is the thermostat set to Cool, and set below the temperature in the room? Does the screen have power, or does it need batteries?
- Is air coming out of the vents at all, or is air coming out but it is warm? Those are different problems.
- Is the outdoor unit running? Can they hear it or see the fan on top turning?
- When was the filter last changed? If it is gray and clogged, a new one is safe to put in.
- Is there ice on the copper lines outside or on the indoor unit? If yes, turn the system off and let it thaw. Do not chip or scrape the ice.
- Breaker: reset it once at most. If it trips again, leave it off and tell the tech.
- Is it the whole house, or just one room or one floor? One room points to the ductwork or a vent, not the whole system.
What the tech needs to know
- Central air, a heat pump, or a ductless unit on the wall, and the brand if they can read it.
- The age of the system, or a photo of the label on the outdoor unit so the tech can read the model and serial number.
- What it is doing: no power, running but blowing warm, frozen, short cycling on and off, or making a new noise.
- Where the indoor unit is: attic, closet, basement, garage, and whether it is easy to reach.
- Whether anything changed recently: a storm, a power outage, yard work near the outdoor unit, a recent repair.
- Photos of the thermostat screen, both units and any ice or water.
How it sounds on the phone
Before anything else, do you smell burning near either unit, and is anyone in the home at risk in the heat?
What is the address?
Please turn it off and let the ice melt on its own. The tech will find out why it froze.
Just knock the ice off and turn it back on.
It is a heat pump about fourteen years old, the outdoor fan is not spinning and there is an infant at home, so I am booking the first open slot and telling the tech to bring parts for the outdoor unit.
Sounds like it needs a recharge, someone will call you back.
The three ways this goes wrong
- Booking a routine visit without asking who is at risk in the heat. That question sets the priority, so it comes first, every time.
- Talking the customer through resetting the breaker again and again, or clearing ice by hand. Once is the limit, then it waits for the tech.
- Not asking the system type, the age and what it is actually doing, so the tech arrives without the right part or without knowing it may be a replacement conversation.
An AC not cooling call is safety and who is at risk first, then the thermostat, the filter and the ice, then the details. Ask in that order, and the household stays safe and the tech arrives ready to fix it on the first visit.
I answer the phones for HVAC contractors, and on every AC not cooling call I ask who is at risk in the heat before I book the visit. callbobai.com