Related Articles
AC Not Blowing Cold Air – We’ve all been at that point were sweating through a sleepless night or slogging through the heat of a sweltering July afternoon during summer. It’s no fun at all when you realize your air conditioner isn’t cooling, but it can happen and it happens. And when it does, it isn’t going to be during winter. It’ll be during summer’s hottest days, and no matter how many times you turn down the thermostat you would still find out the AC isn’t blowing air that is cold enough.
Most air conditioning systems aren’t just the condenser unit (the AC unit or heat pump) sitting outside your home there is more to the system.
Typical split-system air conditioners have a lot of moving parts, including an indoor air handler unit (furnace or fan coil), an evaporator coil, thermostat, air filter, and copper tubing (refrigerant lines) that connects both the indoor and outdoor units.
So at this point, so many questions come up, But fear not. Just because the system isn’t cooling, doesn’t automatically mean new/expensive AC repairs or replacing the entire system.
Most of the recent homeowners can usually do some basic troubleshooting and it may be able to resolve the issue. However, there can also be times that you would need to make the call to your local repair professional.
Since we have gotten to this point let’s drive to our main course.
Why My Air Conditioner Isn’t Cooling Enough
AC Not Blowing Cold Air
So it might seem from very simple issues like the thermostat being set incorrectly or a dirty air filter to more complex situations that might require replacing components, there are a wide variety of reasons why you may find out your air conditioner running, but isn’t lowering the temperature in the house. We will outline some of the items you should check on before calling a professional for repairs and checkup.
• Thermostat Being Set Incorrectly
In the event that you notice your home getting a little hotter than normal even when the AC is running, firstly check the thermostat settings. Be sure it is set to cool. If the thermostat is set to cool, check the temperature setting to be sure someone hasn’t changed it yet. If it is off then, set to heat, or set for constant fan (sometimes simply labeled “on” on a button), switch it back to cooling operation. After the system kicks on, wait a few more minutes, then check for the cold/cool air blowing from the registers. If it’s cold, problem resolved! If not, we move on to the next troubleshooting tip in our article
• Dirty Air Filter
The step next to checking the thermostat is checking the air filter.
Your AC system may include an air filter located in or around the indoor air handler unit. The filter according to it’s name catches dirt, dust and other airborne particles as they enter the air handler unit. It keeps the components inside the system cleaner few from air particles and operating more efficiently and can help keep the air in your home cleaner as well. A dirty air filter can block the airflow and reduce cooling to your home. In more extreme cases it can cause the systems to shut down completely.
If your thermostat checks out and you still don’t have cool air from it’s check out then, locate your system’s air filter, turn the system off, remove the filter and inspect it. If, after you are satisfied that you have a clean air filter and your central air conditioner still does not cool your home, you’ll have to dig a little deeper in the troubleshooting to locate the problem.
• Damaged Heat Pump
In most cases, your outdoor unit might be a heat pump. A heat pump looks just like an AC unit, with most likely some different components inside that allow it to cool and heat up your home at the same time. In most cooling operations, it operates most likely as an air conditioner system’s condenser unit and its subject to the same issues – clogged coil, dirty, refrigerant leaks, compressor malfunctions, frozen coil etc. If your heat pump system isn’t cooling, check thermostat settings, the air filter, and the condenser unit for previously described issues. If everything is checked out and you’re still sweating and it’s hot, call your local HVAC dealer.
Evaporator Coil Might Be Frozen
The indoor component/unit of your central air conditioning system includes an evaporator coil. If your indoor unit is a furnace on its own, then the evaporator coil has its own cabinet, outside the furnace. If the indoor unit is a fan coil (typically part of the heat pump system), the evaporator coil sits inside the fan coil cabinet. Warm indoor unit air passes through the evaporator coil where humidity and heat energy are being removed from the air. Cooler, more comfortable air is being circulated back in your home. Signs that a frozen evaporator coil includes:
• When there is Frost forming on the copper refrigerant tubing coming from the coil cabinet.
• Increase in utility bills.
• Inadequate Cooling.
• Excess condensate drainage near your indoor unit.
• In extreme cases, frost starts forming on the exterior refrigerant tubing or the outdoor unit.
Due to the difficulty of accessing the evaporator Coil, to resolve issues associated with a frozen evaporator coil are best handled by a professional.
Refrigerant leak
The Refrigerant is a chemical that is critical to the cooling process. It flows through the system’s indoor and outdoor coils, changing forms between liquid to gaseous forms, drawing heat energy and humidity from indoor air and releasing it outside at a constant pace. Depending on its severity, a refrigerant leak can contribute to the AC system not blowing cold air. Your system may run for longer periods of time without adequate cooling to your home, or it might cause a damaged or failed compressor and contribute to complete systems shutdown.
All these mentioned above might contribute sole to the reason why the air conditioning systems is online and not releasing cool/cold air at the same time it’s running,So do well to troubleshoot the systems by rebooting it or leaving it for the professionals to handle.
