There is nothing more frustrating than turning your air conditioner on only to notice an hour later that it’s not blowing cold air. Your air conditioner could be blowing warm air for a number of reasons. This malfunction could be the result of several different problems ranging from lack of maintenance to bigger problems.
Thermostat Settings
It may seem obvious, but the first thing you will want to check is your thermostat and make sure that is on “cool” and that no one has tampered with the temperature settings. Kids love buttons! If your thermostat is programmable, you will want to make sure that the clock is set at the proper time, and that you’re not in an “offset mode”, which might keep your system turned back, or off. We get several calls each time the seasons change that turn out to be improperly set thermostats.
Refrigerant Leak
A leak is problem that you would need an HVAC company to look at. It could be something as simple as a bad service valve or a joint coming loose due tovibration. It’s always a good idea to have your unit tuned up at the beginning of the season to prevent outages before it gets miserably hot. Leaks are often repairable, but it takes a trained, licensed technician to give you the best advice.
Frozen AC Unit
Yes, air conditioning coils can actually freeze, in fact, they can freeze into a solid block of ice even in the middle of August and this is actually somewhatcommon. Frozen coils are a result of low refrigerant charge, or lack of airflow, often caused by a clogged filter or dirty coils. If you look in your unit and see ice turn the unit completely off and let it thaw (this usually takes up to 24 hrs.). When the ice is gone you should be able to turn in back on, but set it a bit higher (ator above 78ºF) until a technician can look at it and prescribe a proper remedy.
Air Filters
Last year we were renting a condo at the beach and it was super hot in the condo. The owners said, “Oh it’s probably frozen. Turn it off.” When I took the cover off the unit to see if it was frozen I was shocked to see how dirty the filter was. No wonder it was hotter than blue blazes in there! Upon further investigation we noticed that the vents had wire covers on them and they too were completely clogged with dust. So make sure that your filter is changed on a regular basis and that you are not blocking vents. Dirty filters cause more problems with your A/C and heating system than any other single issue.
Compressor
Finally, what no home owner wants to hear is that sometimes compressors simply go out. Your compressor is literally the heart of your unit, so if the compressor is totally dead, the unit won’t run at all. However, if it’s running and blowing warm air it could be the start of its decline. Compressors generally last at least 10 years and can work up to 20+ years if you have annual maintenance and keep your filters clean. Depending on the age of your unit and the price of parts sometimes replacing the whole system is a better option.
If you have any sort of cooling issues, or your air conditioning is not performing properly, call your local air conditioner repair technician today, before 90-degree weather sets in. In Louisville, call Automatic Air Corporation!
