Is your home’s air conditioning system not cooling your home? Maybe it’s blowing lukewarm or even hot air. Many things could cause your AC not to cool your home appropriately. To help you troubleshoot your cooling system, we’ll order these issues into ones you can tackle yourself and others that require an expert cooling professional. Here’s why your AC may not be cooling.
Thermostat Set to “ON” Rather Than “AUTO”
Does your AC produce cool air sometimes and tepid air at other times? It could be that the fan setting is set to “ON,” which runs the fan every minute of every day — but doesn’t actually cool the air. Fix the issue by setting the indoor thermostat to AUTO.
Dirty Return Air Ducts
A dirty return air duct restricts the flow of air pulling into your AC, causing a host of issues. Dirty air ducts can cause your air conditioning system to struggle to circulate the cool air needed to efficiently get your home to the ideal temperature. For example, if your thermostat is set to 72, but your temperature never drops below 78.
Another issue typically is the evaporator coil freezes. Since the coils are no longer in contact with the air, they cannot absorb heat. This results in warm air coming from the supply vents.
Dirty Condenser (Outside) Unit
Your home’s HVAC system’s inside unit (called an evaporator) retains heat from your air and then moves that warmth to the outside unit (called the condenser).
This process can be hindered if your condenser unit is cluttered with dirt or debris, causing your cooling system to struggle while attempting to cool your home.
Fix the issue by spraying the outside unit with a hose on a delicate setting. Try not to shoot it on a high setting or you’ll twist the blades that permit airflow to chill the condenser. Additionally, remove any weeds developing around the AC unit. Give it some space to breathe!
AC Issues You Can’t Fix Yourself
Here are a couple of issues that a cooling expert will need to address:
Issue 1: A defective or broken condenser fan
In the event your home’s HVAC system’s condenser fan isn’t operating correctly, the unit will not effectively remove heat, therefore hindering the system’s ability to cool the home.
Issue 2: Low refrigerant charge/refrigerant leak
Refrigerant is the fluid that absorbs the warmth from your home’s air. When refrigerant levels are low, your AC can’t ingest enough warmth to cool the air. It could mean you have a refrigerant leak.
Signs you have a refrigerant leak include ice development on the refrigerant line and the outside unit, or simply air conditioning that can’t seem to cool your home on particularly hot days, yet cools fine on cooler days or evenings.
Call the HVAC Experts
If you see these signs, turn off your AC and call an HVAC expert ASAP. Running the AC in this state can cause slugging in the blower and harm it further.
Did you take a stab at tackling the issues yourself? Is your AC not cooling your home as you know it should? Call Carney and Son today!