It’s fall and that means the leaves are changing and the temperatures are dropping - for our friends up north.

Here in Sarasota, it’s still HOT (and the leaves are still green) and that means we still want the AC blowing COLD. On the Suncoast, we depend on our AC year-round and, if you’re like us, you have a trusted AC Company you can call at the first sign of trouble, but not every problem requires a pro.

This checklist can help you avoid an unnecessary (and possibly expensive) service call:

Check the Thermostat

Make sure the thermostat is set to the "COOL" position and that it is set to the desired temperature.

If your thermostat is battery operated (or if it has a battery backup in case of a power outage) a fresh battery could clear up some issues and/or restore connectivity between the AC unit and the thermostat. If you haven’t changed the battery in over a year – it might be time for a fresh battery.

Check the Breakers

Make sure all the circuit breakers in the box are set to the "ON" position. If there is a “tripped breaker” (at the neutral position) turning it off and then on will reset it.

Resetting the breaker that controls your thermostat and/or the air conditioning system can sometimes be enough to restart an unresponsive system
If your air conditioning system keeps tripping the breaker – DON’T TURN IT BACK ON.

Check the Filter

A clogged filter will make

Don't touch that EM switch!

With all this cold (by Florida standards) weather we’ve been having, you might be tempted to switch on that “Em Heat” or “Aux Heat” setting on your thermostat, but read this first…

Short for Emergency or Auxiliary Heat, this secondary heat source (which can be electric, gas, oil, or hot water) is automatically triggered when the temperature is too cold for the heat pump to extract enough heat from the air outside. Using a secondary heat source (electric for most heat pumps) increases your energy consumption, so you shouldn’t go out of your way to use it (unless you want higher energy bills).

Your system will automatically switch over to “Em Heat” or “Aux Heat” when the outside temperature drops below 35°F or so. Manually switching over, will shut off the heat pump and turn on the secondary heat source which can cost twice as much to operate so you should only do this in case of an actual emergency, like when your heat pump breaks down.

The best way to keep your heat pump (and every other part of your system) from failing at the most inconvenient time is through regular preventive maintenance.

If you don’t already have a maintenance agreement with Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating, call 941-921-7208 and get two 32+ point inspections/year, a 15% discount on any service need that arises, after-hours service calls billed at the non-emergency rate, and discounts on all system replacements!