My remote control no longer communicates with the air conditioner, what should I do?
It’s the middle of summer, and your home feels like a sauna. You grab the remote to turn on the air conditioning, but ... nothing happens. What’s going on? Is it the remote or the AC unit itself? Let’s dive into the details together and figure out what’s causing the issue, so we can get your home feeling cool and comfortable again.
THE POTENTIAL CAUSES FOR THIS FAULT:
WARNING
Before you do anything to your appliance, make sure you disconnect it from the power supply.
There is a risk of electric shock.
The batteries in the remote control are out of juice
If the indoor unit of an air conditioner or freestanding air conditioner no longer responds to the remote control, first check the batteries in the remote control. If these are drained, it is logical that the AC no longer responds. Also, check that the batteries are installed correctly. Replace the batteries if necessary and test before continuing to the other checks below.
- When your air conditioner remote is not in use for long periods of time, remove the batteries. This avoids unnecessary discharge, helping the batteries last longer.
- In addition, battery fluid can leak and cause the remote control to fail. If this happens the batteries may oxidize the contact blades of the remote control. If you notice traces of oxidation, we advise you to scrape them off. Test the device to see if this allows the infrared transmission to work again. Otherwise, it will be necessary to replace the remote control.
The remote control is no longer paired with the air conditioner
If the batteries are not to blame, it may be a pairing problem. A remote control needs to be paired with a receiving device. Sometimes, especially after changing the batteries, this setting gets lost. In this case, it is usually necessary to reset the remote control and follow the procedure in the user manual to reset the remote control. If this doesn’t fix the problem, the remote control may simply be out of order and will need to be replaced.
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An electronic bug in the air conditioning unit
If the remote control does not seem to be responsible for the malfunction, try turning off the power supply to the AC for 10 minutes. This is sometimes enough to erase a defect on its electronic memory.
The infrared link is defective
A malfunction of the infrared receiver cell may prevent the remote control from communicating with your air conditioning unit. You can check the remote for failure using the camera function on your smartphone or tablet. However, some mobiles do not allow you to do this (iPhone in particular). If your mobile is compatible do this: press a button on the remote control while aiming it at your mobile phone’s camera. Look at the camera screen. If it reflects a white or red light, it indicates that the remote control is functional. Conversely, if no flashing LED lights up on the end of the remote control, it indicates that the problem is not with the remote but with the air conditioning unit itself. In this case, it will be necessary to consider replacing the infrared plate of the air conditioner.
Purchase an infrared panel for my air conditioner