Ideally, ACs are meant to make our lives functional and easier by replacing the indoor warm air with a cooler one. However, because of different technical issues, your AC may sometimes blow warm air instead of the direly needed cool air.
Some of these technical hitches include wrong thermostat readings or malfunctions, leaking or low refrigerant, dirty filters, ductwork issues, obstructed return vents and electrical issues.
While trying to troubleshoot some of these issues can sometimes be overwhelming, this discussion gives all the information you need on such issues. It also provides you with the call-to-action needed to combat each of these.
Wrong Thermostat Readings
Is your AC Blowing Warm Air?
Warm air from an AC can sometimes cause panic amongst homeowners especially in cold times like the winter or at night when opening the windows could be unsafe. While your mind is occupied with all manner of technical possibilities behind the warm air, the issue could simply be wrong settings on your thermostat. So before even looking farther, first evaluate your thermostat. Someone or the kids could have accidentally adjusted the settings to ‘warm’ on the remote control. If that is the case, use it to adjust the settings to read ‘cool’ on the display.
If the settings do not adjust as provided by the manufacturer, it signals the end of the road with the thermostat and time to replace it. Unless very experienced, replacement of thermostat should be handled by professionals only.
Leaking or Low Refrigerant
In a way, ACs function under the same mechanism as refrigerators. Upon picking warm surround air, the refrigerant absorbs it before it is recirculated. A small leak or low levels of refrigerant can lead to malfunctioning of the system, and thus the uncomfortable warm air. To combat this issue, schedule a date with a professional to seal the leaking refrigerant pipes or fill up the refrigerant. Do not attempt this on your own since the refrigerant, which in many instances is a gas could explode and leave you nursing serious injuries.
Dirty Filters
The other item to check, after the thermostat is the filter of an AC. This is because they can sometimes get too dirty, usually 3 months after replacement. Dirt from dust, grease, dander, and lint can all contribute to clogged filters. The result of this is a hampered airflow, which leads to overworking. As the system overworks, it produced lots of heat that is blown back indoors, hence the uncomfortable warm air you sometimes breathe.
Blocked Return Vents
As warm air is picked up from the room, it is replaced with a cooler one that comes through the return vents, placed in different points in the house. Placing furniture, potted plants and other items in front of these vents can also contribute to the AC producing warm air due to overworking. You can combat this issue by simply removing these obstructions from the way and before you realize it, your indoor will be cool.
Ductwork Issues
During their operation, ACs produce water that channels through a ductwork that connects to the exterior unit. Clogged ductwork means the water flows back, thereby overworking the unit hence more production of warm air. Similarly, a leaking ductwork means cool air from the exterior unit may never reach your spaces, which goes on to explain the warm air you are breathing in the indoors.
Electrical Issues
Having inspected and ascertained that the interior component and its features are okay, the next place to check would be the exterior unit. This is because for unexplained reasons, the exterior unit may have experienced an outage. If that is the case, reconnect the power and the production of cool air will resume.
Due to the significant power consumption associated with ACs, they may sometimes trip the breakers in power circuits. As a result, the AC may not function as intended, which goes on to explain the warm air it is blowing. Electrical connections are intricate and peculiar systems that only professionals have the required knowledge to navigate and rectify.
Most of these contributing issues are a little expensive to rectify. They can also make your life a living hell if not addressed early enough. Fortunately, you can avoid all these issues through simple AC maintenance. By changing the filters regularly, every 3 months, checking the thermostat, removing obstructions from return vents, and cleaning the ductwork, you can be able to prevent such issues. Scheduling regular professional inspections, say every 6 months can help prevent serious mechanical issues and extend the service of your AC.