AC units blowing warm air in the Texas summer heat is almost everyone’s worst nightmare. Depending on the severity of the problem, you can either try and find a solution on your own, or call an air conditioning professional for immediate help. To give you some guidance on the problem at hand, here are some of the most common reasons your AC vent is blowing warm air.
Check the Thermostat
Before jumping to conclusions, you should first check your thermostat. Although this may seem silly, it’s possible that someone else in the home could’ve changed it from the “cool” setting. If your thermostat is set to “on,” your thermostat will continue to blow air, even when it is not cooling.
Frozen AC Unit
Ironically, one of the most common reasons for AC units to blow warm air is because the outdoor unit is frozen. If you haven’t had work done on your air conditioner in a while, the evaporator coils to your unit could be dirty, causing restricted airflow to and from the compressor.
The most common cause of this happening is when a homeowner turns their AC to the highest setting on a hot day. When the coils to your AC unit are frozen solid, this restricts cool air from blowing into your home and you instead feel the fan itself, or in other words, warm air.
Unfortunately, the best way to fix this problem on your own is to turn off your AC for an hour or two, let it thaw, and then try turning it back on. If it still isn’t working, you will need to call a professional. To avoid this from happening, keep your thermostat set on “auto,” or around 70 degrees, and keep an eye on the unit, inside and out.
Air Filters
If you haven’t checked or had your air filters cleaned lately, this could be a simple solution to your problem. An air filter’s purpose is to catch dirt and debris that may be flowing through your unit. If it’s doing its job correctly, it may be clogged with dirt, therefore blocking cool air to flow through the vents. Calling a professional to exchange your air filters can be a quick fix to regain strong and cool airflow throughout your home.
Compressor Failure
The compressor is a key player in the cooling process because it is the middle man between the evaporator inside your home and the condenser outside your home. The compressor’s job is to turn low-pressure gases from the refrigerant in the evaporator and turn it into hot and high-pressure gas for the condenser. If your compressor is the problem, then you will need to call a professional to confirm the cause and replace it.
Wiring Problem
With the large amount of wires going in out and around the internal and external unit, there is a high chance of electrical damage to one of the wires. If a wire becomes frayed, cut, or at all damaged, this could cause problems with your unit or cause it to shut down entirely. Calling an air conditioning repairman to fix the broken wires is not only the best choice, but the safest choice.
