Uh Oh…Is Your AC Blowing Warm Air?
20:11
It’s one of the hottest days of the year
and you just came home from work to a hot house. When you feel the air coming
out of the vents, it’s hot. You run and check your thermostat to see if someone
accidently turned the heat on, but to your surprise…your air conditioner is on
at full blast. Now panic hits you as you have visions of an enormous repair
bill or an unplanned replacement of your air conditioner.
What
Should You Do
Hold on…take a moment, take a deep breath
and perform a few simple steps before calling for service:
•
Turn off the thermostat. You already
checked to see if the heat is on, but check the temperature that it is set at. Reset the thermostat
and lower the temperature to see if cooled air begins to flow through your
vents.
•
Look for a tripped breaker. Take a look
in your circuit box to make sure the breaker for your air conditioner’s
condenser hasn’t tripped. If it has, reset it and wait a few minutes to see if
your air conditioner starts blowing cool air. If the breaker trips again, you
should leave the air conditioner off and call for repair. You may have an
electrical issue or the condenser might be overheating and then shutting itself
down to prevent further damage.
•
Check your air filter. Have you checked
or changed your system’s air filter lately? During the hot summer months, you
should probably be changing it at least one a month. If the filter gets clogged
with dust or pollen, it will reduce the amount of air that is able to reach the
coil in your air conditioner.
•
Speaking of the coil. If you are able to
access the coil inside your system’s air handler check to see if it is covered
with dust or soot that can cause it to freeze up because of the lack of air
reaching it.
•
Look at the condenser unit outside.
Check to see if tall grass or weeds are blocking air from circulating through
the aluminum fins in the condenser’s cabinet. Remove the vegetation and any
debris from the cabinet ONLY after turning off the power to your air conditioner
from the circuit panel.
When
All Else Fails…Call for Help
If you have run through all of the above
steps and still don’t have cool air coming out of your vents, it’s time to call
for AC repair Fort Myers FL homeowners
have grown to trust to handle problems that could cause your AC to blow air,
including:
•
Refrigeration leaks. It is possible that
the refrigerant in your air conditioner has leaked out. The leak will need to
be repaired and your system will need to be recharged with refrigerant.
•
Dead compressor. Compressors just die
sometimes. This could be because the compressor was hit by lightning, received
a power surge, or your AC system is at its end of useful life.
•
Neglect. If you haven’t kept up with
yearly preventive maintenance, it may be possible that your AC has broken down
from neglect that could have otherwise been prevented.
There is never a convenient time for your
air conditioner to break down or start blowing hot air. It’s to your benefit to
call for AC repair whenever you suspect there might be a problem with your
system.
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