The arid Arizona climate makes your air conditioner one of the most important appliances in your home, so it can be a major problem if it stops working properly. Can a power outage damage an AC unit? And what happens if it does?
Power outages can cause severe damage to your air conditioner and require you to replace the entire unit. Mountainside Air is your local AC repair specialist in Cave Creek, AZ. Keep reading to learn what you can do to prevent electrical damage to HVAC systems, or give us a call if yours is already damaged.
How a Power Outage Can Affect Air Conditioners
Power outages and power surges aren’t the same. Outages are often due to the electric company causing your neighborhood to lose power, so power can’t reach your AC unit. Power surges, however, are due to too much power accessing the unit at once, causing the system to overload.
A power outage doesn’t necessarily cause the damage, but rather, it’s from a power surge after the power comes back on. Power outage effects on appliances vary, and the following are what can happen to your air conditioner in Cave Creek, AZ.
Total Shutdown
A power outage will cause a total shutdown where your unit can’t access power at all, leaving you unable to cool down a room until power is restored. If you experience HVAC system restart issues after the power is back on, call a technician to take a look at your unit.
Compressor Damage
Power outages caused by storms are more likely to cause damage because of lightning. Invest in AC compressor protection from lightning to protect it from severe damage.
The compressor may also become damaged if you run it when the power goes out. The inconsistent cooling cycle will lead to it overheating because it can’t properly cool down.
Programming Error
A power outage may reset your air conditioner. Voltage fluctuations can reset modern technology, and you’ll have to input all your settings again. If you didn’t set the settings yourself, you’ll need to call an HVAC company to reset it for you so you can get back to the previous settings you had.
Cooling Cycle Problem
The cooling cycle will be thrown off after a power outage. It could cause to overheating, but this is typically something that will resolve itself by tomorrow. If 24 hours pass and your system still isn’t running smoothly, it’s time to schedule a technician.
Motor Failures
When answering, “Can a power outage damage an AC unit?” you usually hear about the big ones like compressor damage. But, it can also cause issues to the motors within the unit, such as:
- Variable speed motor: This motor saves you energy and money by not allowing your unit to run faster than necessary. If a power outage only affects this motor, you risk spending more on electricity due to it running at full speed.
- Blower motor: The blower motors power the fans inside the unit. Your system will be incapable of blowing air if these go out.
Tripped Circuit Boards
Fixing circuit boards is usually as simple as flipping a switch on a circuit breaker. If this doesn’t solve your problem, an HVAC technician or electrician will be able to help you solve the problem. A tripped circuit board isn’t a bad thing — it saves your unit from an electrical overload.
What To Do After a Power Outage
You’ll need to restart your air conditioner after a power outage to ensure it functions correctly. Restarting is as simple as turning off the power at the circuit breaker, waiting five minutes, and then turning everything back on.
If the unit doesn’t turn on, it’s likely damaged from a power surge when the power came back, or it could have been struck by lightning during a storm. The only way you’ll know the source of the issue is to call a professional HVAC technician to inspect the unit to find out what’s going on under the hood.
Call Mountainside Air in Cave Creek, AZ
When you need outstanding cooling and heating services, call Mountainside Air in Cave Creek, AZ. We’re a veteran-owned company dedicated to serving the local community with the best service available. If you’re wondering, “Can a power outage damage an AC unit?” the answer is yes, and we can help you restore your unit so you can keep your Arizona home cool.
Call us today, and we’ll quickly get you on our schedule so you can have cool air in your home again. Just reach out now.