Frequently Asked Questions

[Frequently asked questions here]

Heating and cooling can be complicated at times.

Q: How often should I service my home's central air conditioning unit?
A: Heating and Air Conditioning equipment, no matter what kind you have, should be inspected, cleaned, and serviced at least once a year. The best scenario is to have the heating system checked in the Fall and the air conditioning checked in the Spring. Oil-fired equipment should definitely be cleaned and serviced annually; at the beginning of each heating season.

Q: My Air Conditioner won't turn off, why?
A: If your AC doesn’t turn off when room temperature reaches the temperature set on the thermostat, the problem is generally occurring either at the thermostat or in the electrical system that runs the outside condensing unit. You can use the AC’s circuit breaker to shut off the unit, but that should not be a permanent solution—circuit breakers are not designed to be used like light switches.

If the thermostat is blank—not displaying any values—or if the AC shuts off when you switch the thermostat to HEAT, the thermostat is probably broken and needs to be replaced. Please see Home Thermostats Buying Guide.

If the thermostat works fine with the furnace, the issue probably isn’t the thermostat unless one of the wires has disconnected or arced. When the AC is running, try removing the yellow low-voltage wire from the thermostat. Then:

If the unit turns off, either the thermostat is broken or it is wired improperly. Make sure it is wired correctly—with no cross-connected wires. If the wiring appears to be okay, buy a new thermostat and install it according to the instructions.