AC Broke During a Kansas Heat Wave? What to Do Right Now

If your AC stops working during a heat wave, start with a few quick checks: the thermostat, the air filter, and the circuit breaker. If those don't solve it, turn the system off if it's frozen or making unusual noises, keep your home as cool as possible, and call for service. If anyone in the home is at risk from the heat, treat it as urgent.

Few HVAC problems feel as urgent as an air conditioner quitting during a Kansas heat wave.

The thermostat starts climbing. The upstairs gets uncomfortable first. The kids are hot. The dog is sprawled across the coolest patch of floor he can find.

Before you panic, or assume you need a new AC, there are a few safe things homeowners can check, and a few things you can do to keep everyone comfortable while you wait.

• Start with quick checks: the thermostat set to COOL, a clean air filter, and a breaker that hasn't tripped. Reset a tripped breaker only once.
• If you see ice, hear grinding or buzzing, or smell burning, turn the system off and call for service.
• Don't keep lowering the thermostat. It won't make a struggling system cool any faster.
• While you wait, close the blinds, run fans, stay on the lowest floor, and keep a close eye on young children, older adults, and pets.
• A broken AC can be an emergency in extreme heat, especially if anyone in the home is vulnerable to heat illness.

These are the same safe checks we'd ask about over the phone. For a deeper troubleshooting list, see our guide to what to check when your AC is running but not cooling.

Check your thermostat

Confirm that it's on COOL and that the set temperature is below the indoor temperature.

Check the air filter

A severely restricted filter can create airflow problems. If it's visibly dirty, replace it.

Check the circuit breaker once

If the breaker has tripped, you can reset it once. If it immediately trips again, don't repeatedly reset it. An electrical problem needs diagnosis.

Look at the outdoor unit

Is the condenser running? Is it making an unusual sound? Is it surrounded by debris? Don't open the equipment or attempt electrical repairs yourself, but observations like these can help your technician.

Look for ice or water

Ice around refrigerant lines or the indoor coil is an important clue. If you see ice, switch the thermostat from COOL to OFF and set the fan to ON so it can thaw. Water around the equipment can also point to a condensate problem or melting ice.

Don't keep lowering the thermostat

Setting your thermostat to 60°F won't make a struggling AC cool the house faster. If your system isn't working correctly, changing the setpoint doesn't fix the underlying problem.

If you're waiting on a repair, a few simple steps can keep your home and family more comfortable:

• Close blinds and curtains, especially on south- and west-facing windows.
• Run ceiling fans counterclockwise and use box or floor fans to keep air moving. Fans cool people, not rooms, so turn them off in empty rooms.
• Stay on the lowest floor. Basements and first floors stay coolest.
• Close doors to unused rooms, and close off the upstairs if it's the hottest part of the house.
• Skip the oven and dryer. Both add heat to the house. Grill outside or stick to meals that don't need cooking.
• Open windows at night if it's cooler outside than inside, then close them in the morning.
• Drink plenty of water, and use cool showers or damp cloths to cool down.
• Check on family members and pets. Young children, older adults, people with health conditions, and pets are most at risk in the heat.

If anyone shows signs of heat illness, such as heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, confusion, or a very high body temperature, move them somewhere cool and get medical help. If your home gets too hot to stay in safely, consider a cooler place like a friend's house, a library, or a local cooling center.

A broken AC isn't always an emergency, but in extreme heat it can be. Call an HVAC professional right away when:

• The breaker repeatedly trips
• You smell burning
• The system freezes
• The outdoor unit won't operate
• The AC runs but produces little or no cooling
• You hear significant grinding, buzzing, or other abnormal sounds
• Indoor temperatures are becoming unsafe
• Someone in the home is very young, elderly, or has a health condition that makes heat dangerous

If you smell burning or see smoke, turn the system off at the thermostat and the breaker. If there's any sign of fire, leave the house and call 911.

Jack Harrison is open seven days a week and serves Olathe, Overland Park, and communities throughout Johnson County and the surrounding metro.

Air conditioners are designed for typical summer conditions in your area. During a heat wave, they run longer and harder, and most systems can only cool a home about 15 to 20 degrees below the outdoor temperature.

On a 100-degree afternoon, a house sitting around 80 degrees doesn't necessarily mean something is broken. The system may simply be at its limit.

Extreme heat can also expose parts that were already weak, like capacitors, fan motors, and contactors. That's one reason so many breakdowns happen on the hottest days of the year.

To help your AC on hot days, keep the filter clean, keep the outdoor unit clear, hold a steady temperature instead of making big adjustments, and use blinds and fans to reduce the load.

Absolutely not.

Many no-cooling calls are repairable.

The right approach is to diagnose the failure first, determine the overall condition of the equipment, and then discuss repair versus replacement if the circumstances warrant it.

Jack Harrison services all brands and models, and our $89 diagnostic is waived when you choose to complete the repair with us.

Why did my AC suddenly stop cooling on the hottest day?

Extreme heat makes your system run longer and harder, which can expose components that were already weak or failing. A diagnosis is needed to identify the actual cause.

Is it normal for my AC to run nonstop during a heat wave?

It can be. On very hot days, many systems run almost constantly and can only cool the house about 15 to 20 degrees below the outdoor temperature. If it can't keep up on milder days, or the air from the vents isn't cool, have it checked.

How can I keep my house cool without AC?

Close blinds and curtains, run fans, stay on the lowest floor, avoid using the oven and dryer, and open windows at night if it's cooler outside. Drink plenty of water and check on anyone who's especially sensitive to heat.

How hot is too hot inside a house?

There's no single cutoff, but once indoor temperatures climb into the upper 80s or higher, heat becomes a real risk, especially for young children, older adults, people with health conditions, and pets. If your home is getting that hot, treat the repair as urgent and consider going somewhere cooler.

Should I turn off an AC that's making a loud noise?

If the noise is significant or sounds like a mechanical or electrical problem, yes. Shutting the system down and requesting service can help prevent additional damage.

Can Jack Harrison provide same-day AC repair?

We're open seven days a week and work to get homeowners scheduled as quickly as possible. Call (913) 308-3131 or request service online, and we'll let you know our soonest availability.