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sandusky · Apr 22, 2008, 09:48 PM

Hello,

I am new to this board. I am a female and know nothing about heating and air conditioning problems. I have a question about my thermostat control that I hope someone can help me with. Thank you for taking the time to read my question.

My house has central heat & air. About a month ago, I had the thermostat control on the wall set on automatic "heat". I left the heat on too long and it started getting too hot in the house. I decided to turn the thermostat control to air-conditioning to cool things down, but flipped the switch over "too fast." Now the air conditioning won't kick on. However the fan is still working. The thermostat switch also works when it is turned over to "heat". I have already checked the breaker box, but that didn't fix the problem.

My question is this -- do I need to install a new thermostat or do I have a more serious problem? It is starting to get warm where I live and need to get this taken care of as soon as possible. I would appreciate anyone than can give me some advice on this issue. Thank you in advance. I very much appreciate your help.

Sandusky

hvac1000 · Apr 22, 2008, 10:04 PM

I do not feel the thermostat you have now is defective. You may have checked the breaker box in the house but how about the disconnect out at the A/C unit outside?

Usually there is a disconnect outside and usually it is fused or has another circuit breaker in it. Remember when you reset a breaker always make sure you turn the circuit breaker to the complete off position before turning it back on. If the disconnect outside has fuses in it they will need to be tested or replaced with known good ones.

Report back with your findings.

KISS · Apr 22, 2008, 10:35 PM

As HVAC100 said, I doubt it's the thermostat, but I've seen fuses, fuseholders and breakers be destroyed with that operation. Good thermostats have software that prevents this from happening.

If you don't wait a couple of minutes after turning off an AC/heat pump before turning it back on again there is a large electrical surge that usually just takes out the protective elements like fuses and breakers.

The breaker for the AC will have a large number on it like 30, 40 or 50 and have a bar between the 2 actuators. That limits your choices. Push these slightly toward the on position. If it moves slightly, reset by turning completely off and back on.

sandusky · Apr 23, 2008, 05:34 AM

Thank you both for your answers. I don't know that much about breakers or fuses. Guess I need to get a heating/air technician out to check them. I hope I haven't caused major damage to the breaker or system itself. Will report back to this board with my findings. Thank you again for your help.

Sandusky

hvac1000 · Apr 23, 2008, 07:03 AM

Good luck with your repair