Honeywell Air Conditioner Troubleshooting (9 Issues Fixed)

A properly working Honeywell AC creates the most comfortable indoor staying experience. The situation is, however, quite the opposite when the AC starts malfunctioning, and all you can turn to is your Honeywell air conditioner troubleshooting manual. 

A troubleshooting manual should help you fix a Honeywell air conditioner that won’t work, cool, heat, or turn off or an option whose thermostat won’t turn on or switch on the AC. Others include an AC whose thermostat fan won’t work, or the thermostat shows COOL but won’t work or blow air.

Those are the nine issues common among Honeywell AC users, and even though most users call experts at first glance, these issues are DIY troubleshooting. I’ll explain the most likely cause of each AC issue and what you can do to remedy it. Let’s jump into it!

In a hurry? Below is a quick Honeywell air conditioner troubleshooting guide. 

Quick Honeywell Air Conditioner Troubleshooting Guide 

Common Honeywell Air Conditioner Issues and Their Troubleshooting 

Below are nine common problems with Honeywell air conditioners and their simple troubleshooting:

1. Honeywell Air Conditioner Not Working

Several issues can stop a Honeywell AC from working, and they include the following:

• Wrong setting – Your Honeywell AC won’t work if the thermostat is not on Cool Mode, its temperature is higher than the room temperature, or the fan is not placed on On/Auto mode. 
• Dirty condenser coils – If the Honeywell AC condenser coils are filthy, they’ll fail to transfer heat correctly, so the AC will overheat, which may eventually cause the compressor to shut off. Once that happens, the AC stops working. 
• Non-working fan – If the outside fan doesn’t run, the compressor will overheat and shut, and the AC won’t work once that happens. The outdoor fan may not be running because it’s OFF or faulty.

Fix 

Start by checking the setting, where the thermostat should be on ‘Cool,’ and its temperature should be lower than the room’s, while the fan should be on ON/Auto mode. 

Then, inspect the condenser coil and clean them if they are filthy, and if that doesn’t work and the fan is not running despite being on, inspect it for damage. If the fan is damaged, replace it. 

2. Honeywell Air Conditioner Not Cooling

Your Honeywell AC needs to blow cold air when it’s scorching. That may not happen, however, due to these issues:

• Wrong setting – Your Honeywell AC won’t blow cold if the thermostat is not on Cool Mode, its temperature reading is higher than the room temperature, or the fan is not on Auto/On mode. 
• Dirty air filter – If the filter is filthy, it’ll restrict airflow, forcing your AC to overwork. In such a case, the AC cannot blow adequate cold air.
• Blocked outdoor unit – A clogged outdoor unit also restricts airflow and could be why your AC won’t blow cold. So, ensure you inspect it. 
• Tripped breaker – Once the breaker trips, it disrupts the power supply to your Honeywell AC, preventing it from cooling. 
• Frozen coils – Frozen evaporator coils also restrict airflow, mostly when the air filter is filthy. So, you must first check the air filter, and if it’s indeed dirty, then check the evaporator coils too. 
• Low refrigerant – The refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air to promote a relaxed environment. However, its level must be sufficient for its circulation within the system. Once it starts to leak, it’s unable to do that.
• Non-working compressor – If the compressor doesn’t run, it cannot recirculate the flowing refrigerant. As a result, the air conditioner is unable to cool. 

Fix 

Use the tips above to ensure your thermostat and fan are set accordingly. Then check the air filter, change it if it’s dirty, and clean the outdoor unit if it’s filthy too. 

If the evaporator coils look frosty, unplug the AC and allow it to thaw out, and if you still can’t fix it, call a pro to check the refrigerant and compressor. 

3. Honeywell Air Conditioner Not Heating

Sometimes the Honeywell AC may have a problem blowing hot air during the cold season. If so, then the issue is likely to be one of these:

• Error code – Sometimes, an error code can prevent the Honeywell air conditioner from running and blowing hot.
• Low-temperature setting – The AC won’t blow hot if its temperature setting is lower than the room temperature. 
• Wrong installation – An improper installation can result in faulty wiring or thermostat misalignment, and once that’s the case, the AC cannot blow air. 
• An off or closed furnace – If the furnace is either OFF or closed, it’s unable to run, and that prevents it from heating up. 
• Low battery – Your thermostat depends on the battery power to run. The thermostat won’t turn on the heat if the battery is low, which you can tell from the screen display. 
• Clogged filter – Since a filthy air filter restricts airflow, it is difficult for your AC to blow hot air just as much as cold air. 
• Tripped breaker – Given that the breaker disrupts the AC’s power supply when it trips, that prevents the AC from heating. 
• Wrong wiring – If there’s an issue with the thermostat wiring, the thermostat will malfunction, preventing the AC from getting hot. 
• Faulty thermostat – Expect the AC to fail to heat if the thermostat malfunctions. It depends on a working thermostat to switch on the heat. 

Fix 

Start by resetting the thermostat, which you can do with these steps: 

• Switch off the Honeywell thermostat and take out the batteries
• Re-insert the batteries in opposite polarity and wait for 5 seconds
• Take them out once again and re-insert them correctly and check the thermostat

If the AC still doesn’t get hot, recheck the thermostat’s installation. Meanwhile, check the furnace to ensure it’s on and closed, and replace the thermostat batteries if there is a low battery or no power indicator on the screen. 

Check the breaker, reset it if it’s off, and then call an expert to check the wiring and thermostat. 

4. Honeywell Air Conditioner Not Turning Off

Suppose you try powering off your Honeywell AC, and it won’t power off. Then it’s highly likely due to one of these issues: 

• Running thermostat – If the thermostat is still running, which you can tell if it’s showing ON/Auto, the AC won’t turn off. 
• High outdoor temperature – Sometimes, a scorching outdoor prevent the AC from going off since it fights to cool the hot air. 
• Stuck contactor – If the compressor’s contactor sticks, it prevents the compressor from going off, and if it doesn’t, then the AC also doesn’t go off. 
• Defective thermostat – A malfunctioning thermostat fails to send the correct shut-off signal. That means your Ac may not shut down when you issue the command. 
• Faulty thermostat wiring – If there’s an issue with the thermostat wiring, perhaps damaged or loose connections, the thermostat will fail to turn off the AC. 

Fix 

Turn off the thermostat if it’s running, and give the Ac some time for the outdoor temperature to drop. If the compressor contactor looks stuck, try freeing it and call an HVAC expert to check the thermostat and its wiring. 

5. Honeywell Thermostat Not Turning On

Your Honeywell AC will likely not run if the thermostat won’t turn on. That’s likely to happen due to any of these reasons:

• Wrong mode – If you choose the wrong heat or Cool Mode, the thermostat may fail to turn on. 
• Dead batteries – The thermostat won’t turn on if its battery power is low, which is often a case of dead batteries. 
• Tripped breaker – The breaker stops the power supply to the AC, which means the thermostat won’t turn on. 
• Faulty wiring – If there’s an issue with the thermostat wiring, the thermostat won’t work. 

Fix 

First, reset the thermostat to see if it works using the tips shared earlier. If it doesn’t turn on, ensure you have the correct temperature mode and setting, and replace the batteries if you see a low battery or no power indicator. 

Reset the breaker if it’s OFF and replace the thermostat if it has wiring issues. 

6. Honeywell Thermostat Won’t Turn On Ac

The thermostat not turning on is one thing, and it failing to turn on the AC is another. In the latter case, consider these already discussed issues:

• Wrong mode
• Dead batteries
• Tripped breaker
• Faulty thermostat wiring

In addition, watch out for these issues if the thermostat won’t switch on the air conditioner: 

• Turned-off/open furnace – Check if the furnace is off or open as it should be On and closed
• Clogged air filter – Check if the air filter is filthy, as that results in restricted airflow

Fix 

Reset the thermostat and set it on Cool Mode. Then replace the batteries if there’s a low power indicator and reset the breaker if it’s flipped OFF. 

Turn on the furnace if it’s off, and ensure you return its cover. Meanwhile, replace a clogged filter and call an expert to check the wiring

7. Honeywell Thermostat Fan On Not Working

A few things can prevent a thermostat fan from running, and they include the following:

• Wrong setting – If the fan is not on or the thermostat is not in Cool mode, the thermostat fan won’t work. 
• Dead batteries – The thermostat fan won’t run if the batteries have no power. 
• Tripped breaker – The breaker cuts off the thermostat fan’s power supply, preventing it from running.
• Frozen coils – Frosty coils also prevent the fan from running and so you cannot overlook it. 
• Damaged fan – If the fan is damaged, it won’t run. 
• A faulty thermostat, motor, or capacitor – If either of these AC components fails, the fan won’t run. So, inspect the trio. 

Fix 

Set the fan to ON and thermostat to Cool Mode if that’s not the case, and then reset the breaker if it’s ON. Thaw out frosty coils and replace a broken thermostat fan or faulty thermostat, motor, or capacitor

8. Honeywell Thermostat Cool On But Not Working

While you expect the air conditioner to start working when the thermostat shows COOL, some issues can stop it. They include the following: 

• Wrong setting – This includes not setting the thermostat on Cool Mode and a higher temperature setting than the AC
• Low batteries – Check for the low-battery or no power indicator, which shows the batteries need replacing. 
• Dirty coils – If the coils are filthy, the thermostat will show COOL but won’t work. So, inspect the coils for filthiness. 
• Unpowered outdoor unit – If the outdoor unit is unpowered, perhaps due to a blown-out fuse, unplugged cord, defective outlet, or tripped breaker, the thermostat may show COOL but won’t run. 

Fix 

Ensure the thermostat is on Cool Mode and lower the unit’s temperature below the room temperature. Change the batteries if you see the low battery indicator, and clean the condenser coils if they are filthy. In the meantime, check the outdoor unit to ensure it’s powered on.

9. Honeywell Thermostat Says Cool On But No Air

Lastly, consider these issues if your Honeywell thermostat is showing COOL but not blowing any air:

• The fan could be off – Check the fan as it could be off, and if it is, then it won’t run, which means the AC won’t blow air. 
• Dirty air filter – Filthy air filter restricts proper airflow, and so your AC doesn’t blow any air. 
• Non-working compressor – If the compressor doesn’t run, there won’t be any blown air. 

Fix

Ensure the fan is on Auto or ON mode and replace a dirty air filter. If that doesn’t work, replace a non-working compressor 

Closing Thought 

Discussed is a Honeywell air conditioner troubleshooting guide to use when your Honeywell AC fails or has an issue. So, before you can call an expert and spend money, you should try DIY troubleshooting.

You may never know; the issue might not be as complex as you probably thought. But if it’s something you cannot fix, then call an AC expert.