Air Conditioning Repair | AC Blowing Warm Air
Air Conditioning Repair | AC Blowing Warm Air
We depend upon air conditioning to keep us comfortable during the summer. When the temperatures and humidity are abnormally high as in recent summers, a broken air conditioner is not an option for most households. Coming home and finding the AC blowing warm air is a common air conditioning repair issue, especially on units nearing the end of their lifespan. There are various potential causes for AC blowing warm air, and one of the most common is the system being turned off. Check the following before you call a technician. It may save you a service call, and a wait in the heat.
Check the Thermostat Settings
First, check the thermostat and ensure the fan is on “automatic”. At some time, almost all of us will change the fan to the “run” setting to pull fresh air in an open window or door, and forget to change it back to the automatic setting. The fan will operate continually, and the compressor will continue to run and shut off as normal. When the compressor does not run, the fan continues to run resulting in the AC blowing warm air in between compressor cycles. However, this should not result in the home being hot with the compressor still functioning as usual.
Next, ensure the thermostat setting is on “AC”. People also occasionally shut it off, and forget to return it to AC. If it is off, the compressor will not cycle and the home will fast become hot.
Third, check the temperature setting. If it is set to 80 and the temperature in the house is 79 or lower, the compressor will not cycle on, and if the fan is on continuous run, you will experience the AC blowing warm air.
In addition, if the thermostat is programmable and a power outage has occurred, you may have to reprogram it. If this occurs, check the batteries and replace them if necessary.
Check the filter, and if excessively dirty change it. A clogged and dirty filter can cause the AC to improperly cool and potentially overheat and damage the compressor. If the filter is extremely dirty, overheating may have caused the system to throw a breaker.
At this point, if the system is not cooling, check the unit’s breaker in the home electrical service panel. If the breaker is off, turn it back on. Lower the thermostat below the room temperature to allow the system to come on. If the breaker was off the system should now be cooling. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
If your home has a split system, refrigerant lines will be located in the air return (the section where you change the filter). Remove the panel and inspect the copper lines, if they are frosted or iced over the unit is low on coolant due to a refrigerant leak. This will require air conditioning service from your HVAC technician. The technician will need to repair the leak and recharge the system with refrigerant.
In the absence of iced over refrigerant lines, use a flashlight to check for an overflowing condensate pan. If this is occurring, there may be water in the bottom of the unit, or running out on the floor. Do not touch any wires due to the risk of shock. An overflowing condensate pan indicates a stopped up drain, and water may have shorted a circuit, and caused it to throw a breaker in the unit itself, or in your home’s electrical service panel.
The leakage of condensate can also indicate the coil is in need of cleaning. There comes a point when a dirty coil will not cool properly, and may result in the AC blowing warm air. A dirty coil in a split system may drip water beyond the condensate pan, resulting in wet circuitry and water on the floor.
Some split systems have one or more breakers inside the air-handling unit (the portion located inside the home). If present, ensure each is in the “on” position. If it is off, push it on. Other units will have a reset switch on the outside of the home somewhere near the condenser (the exterior component). There is generally a box with a reset switch near the unit on the wall or under an accessible deck. Any of these switches/breakers being off can result in the AC blowing warm air.
Thrown breakers occasionally occur due to problems in the electrical grid, lightning, or a problem within the breaker or AC system itself. If your unit is experiencing a frequently thrown breaker, contact a Cypress Heating and Air Conditioning technician for air conditioning service. When the AC blowing warm air is due to frequently thrown breakers is, it is a potential electrical hazard that can place you, your family and your home at risk.
Cypress Heating and Air Conditioning can assist you with air conditioning repair when your home’s AC is blowing warm air. Give us a call to schedule air conditioning repair in Katy. In addition, we provide emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience. We serve Katy, Plano and the surrounding areas, and are a member of the BBB with an A+ rating.
