Have you ever walked in from a hot summer day and noticed that the room is warm? It’s not that cool, comfortable environment you were expecting, and upon further inspection you notice that it’s the air conditioner blowing hot air through the vents! Why does this happen, and how can it be fixed?
There are a number of reasons for your air conditioner blowing hot air, but today we’ve outlined some of the most common ones and how to proceed if they’ve happened to you.
First, check that no one has changed your thermostat settings.
We suggest you keep your thermostat set to ‘ON’ instead of ‘AUTO.’ This will stop your indoor air conditioning unit (the one responsible for blowing the air through your vents) from constantly blowing air through, regardless if it’s cool or warm! With the thermostat ‘ON setting, it will only blow cool air through that’s intended to maintain your home’s temperature to the one you set.
Next, you can check your air conditioner’s breakers to see if they’ve tripped.
Your air conditioner has two breaker switches, one for the inside unit and one for the outside unit. If the outside unit has been tripped, cold air will not be produced but you’ll still feel air blowing through your home. This is because the inside unit’s breaker hasn’t been tripped off and is still circulating air around your home as it should, but it’s warm instead of cool.
*It’s very important that you take extra caution with tripped breakers!
Your breakers are there to protect you in cases of electrical current overload. They could have tripped off because your air conditioner is malfunctioning and is at risk for causing a serious problem, so it’s best to seek professional assistance if you notice your breakers have tripped.
Check that your air conditioner’s air filters are clean.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your air filters clean! The filters remove dust, dirt, and other pollutants from the air before it’s blown throughout your home, but these filters can get clogged and restrict your unit’s airflow, forcing seemingly warm air to blow through your home. You can check out how to clean your air filters here.
Make sure your air conditioner receives proper, professional maintenance.
Keeping your unit clean and having it checked over by a technician is an absolute necessity to keep your air conditioner functioning properly. Dirt, grime and any other obstructions can block airflow and even block your unit from releasing hot air it’s gathered from your home, like it’s supposed to. This can force it to break down and work inefficiently, so maintenance is a must.
Lastly, your air conditioner blowing hot air could be the result of low refrigerant.
Although this doesn’t happen to every air conditioner it is a problem that happens more often than you’d think. Your refrigerant line should be permanently sealed and thus your refrigerant should never be able to “run low.” But leaks happen, and if your refrigerant is indeed running low, a fix is needed as soon as possible to stop the refrigerant from damaging your unit!
If your air conditioner is blowing hot air, Team Harding is here to help. Schedule a service call today, and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about your air conditioner or any other HVAC inquiries.
