Lightning struck outside our house last night. Air does not work. Unit outside does but the thermostat smelled like the wires were melting. Husband got a new thermostat but we can't get the unit to come on. Any Advice?

The unit was running when we came in. No Storms in the area. it was blowing hot air, but was still on the cool setting. There was a burnt wire smell coming from the unit. And the diag. code was Br. I found this odd since it still had power.

cut off that burned wires. You may need a new t-stat

I would definitely get some 'expert' help with this problem. My suggestion is for you to call a reputable Air Conditioning company and let them fix this problem for you. Burnt wires are nothing to mess with and you will need to be sure everything is restored in the proper way. Also, if you 'own' the house, you can usually turn this in to your 'Homeowners' insurance and depending on your deductible you might be glad you did. Say, for instance you have a 'grounded' compressor (due to the lightning) in which case you are looking at around $1000 (if you indeed have a central (split) system).
Again, I would call an Air Conditioning company.
Good Luck!

If it is a split unit this is a unit with a furnace and air handler inside with the condensing unit outside. If your inside fan is running ck your outside fan and seeif it is running. If it is it is probably the wires to the capacitor or the capacitor its self. Some capacitors have 3 wires this is a dual capacitor with a 5uf for the outside fan and a 35up for the compressor. on some there are two seperate capacitors one 5 one 35 uf. also it could be the wirng to the capacitor they will be melted and chared. all of this is located in the outside unit where the elect wires go into the unit you can removethe shell but first disconect the power there should be a disconnect switch near the unit. if not trip the breaker. be carefull with the elect.

Hello- Yes it can be fixed- first, make sure outlet is not damaged. If it is, it will need to be replaced. Next, plug is wired into a terminal block on back of unit. With care, this cord is easy to replace. And safer than it was before. A loose plug, or wire caused the fireworks. Let me know if this info helps- have more if needed. -Thanks- ED

nope, nope, sounds like a stuck contactor in the electrical compartment of the condenser, but there are actually several things that could cause it.

If both fans runs (inside and outside), check if the compresor runs , if does probably the unit is low in freon and needs to be recharged after the freon leak has been fixed (remember this is a seal system and it shouldn't leak), but if the compressor doesn't work , it could be the capacitor , the pressure switch (if it's low on freon ) or the compreessor itself.But befor do anything ,if you have a digital thermostat replce the batteries.

could be anything if hit by lightning. i would look for something burnt, black, visual search for frying.

Condensation by the compressor is okay, but if you see it icing up thats reason for concern. The indoor coils can freeze up if there is not enough air flow. Make sure most if not all the registers are open. Take tempature readings at the return and at a supply vent. There should be a 20-28 degree difference. If the difference is only in the teens you have a functional problem. Be sure to shade direct sunlight. And if it gets below 65 degrees at night be aware that if the A\C runs through the night it may block up with ice in the evaporative area. If outside temp reaches 100 degrees unit will run all day. Good luck

High humidity causes Icing of the cooling coils. Avoid constant running of the a/c. Meaning let the AC pull the house dow 2 - 3 degrees at a time.. The unit shutting off will allow the ice to melt. Make sure the drain is clear by going outside and chkg for drainage. Once the house is reasonably dehumidified the ac can be set and left on its own.