Summer may be a great time for fun, but it’s also a time of sweltering temperatures, brutal humidity, and a desperate need to seek relief in the comfort of an air-conditioned home.
So when you flip on your system only to find that it’s blowing nothing but hot air, you may be horrified, baffled, and frustrated at the fact that relief is nowhere in sight.
It’s true that an air conditioner blowing hot air isn’t a good thing, but understanding why this problem can happen will make getting it fixed more reasonable and easier.
Here are a few of the most common reasons why your air conditioner can blow hot air and what it takes to fix it.
Your System Is Set To Heat
The “law of parsimony” is a philosophy which states that “the simplest explanation for something is more than likely the correct one.”
And when it comes to an air conditioner blowing hot air, the simplest reason for it is that you may have accidentally set your thermostat to “heat” instead of “cool.” It’s an easy mistake to make, and one that even people who have used their same thermostat for years have found themselves accidentally making.
If your home is unexpectedly hot and producing nothing but hot air, first check your thermostat to make sure you didn’t accidentally flip the switch the wrong direction.
There Is An Airflow Restriction
Airflow restrictions are what happens when your air conditioner isn’t able to move enough air over your evaporator coil (your indoor coil) in order to have your coil absorb enough heat to operate properly.
This can result in your compressor (the part of your system which moves refrigerant and facilitates heat transfer outdoors) to freeze up and stop working. A compressor repair is a serious ordeal and absolutely needs to be done by a professional.
However, the causes for this issue are remarkably simple. In some cases it could be something like a blower fan giving out or a motor losing power.
But in many cases this could be caused by one of the simplest things in your HVAC system: your air filter. When your air filter gets too dirty, it can’t allow enough air into your air conditioner, and your whole system can suffer.
The importance of changing your filter regularly cannot be understated.
The Outside Unit Isn’t Powered
While your air conditioner does consist of two different units, your outside unit and inside unit likely are not on the same electrical circuit in your home.
There’s a good reason for this—your outdoor unit is exposed to the weather, so you likely want to have that system on a circuit which is protected by a surge protector or a ground-fault circuit interrupter. That means it is possible for your outdoor unit to lose power while your indoor unit is working just fine.
So you’ll hear your air conditioner blowing air through your home, but it’ll just remain warm, as though you’re just running your HVAC fan.
The solution may be something as simple as resetting the circuit breaker for your outdoor unit. However, you may also be in need of an electrical repair for your air conditioner.
You should call a professional right away if resetting your circuit breaker doesn’t resolve the problem.
When you need your air conditioner repaired, call Abel Air Services at 703-680-3156 and schedule your service with our air conditioning repair experts in Woodbridge, Dumfries, Stafford, Fredericksburg, Bristow, Centreville, Nokesville, Gainesville, Manassas, Manassas Park, Warrenton, Chantilly, Reston, Herndon, Fairfax, Oakton, Clifton, Fairfax Station, Burke, Springfield and Alexandria.
