Why Your AC is Blowing Hot Air

The heat and humidity during the summers are pretty suffocating, and unless you have an air conditioner, it can leave you drained out quite quickly. Your AC constantly releases cool air inside your house, creating a calm and pleasant atmosphere. However, you might sometimes notice your HVAC system blowing hot air.

Your cooling unit blows warm air for various reasons, from low refrigerant levels to a dirty air filter. It is advisable to seek a technician’s help since they will help you understand exactly why air conditioner blows hot air while fixing the issue simultaneously.

However, it is advisable to seek their help immediately after encountering this problem since delaying could worsen the issue. Here’s some helpful information about this topic and how professionals can help you.

 

 

Reasons behind your AC blowing hot air

As mentioned earlier, your air conditioner could be blowing hot air for various reasons, and here are the most common of them.

• A failed compressor

The compressor is a vital part of an air conditioning unit. Its job is to compress the gaseous refrigerant (freon) and ensure the evaporator coil remains cool always. It also enables the refrigerant to change into a liquid or gaseous form.

A faulty compressor would lead to insufficient cooling of the evaporator coils, leading to the air conditioning blowing hot air. If you have a warranty, it costs between 600 USD$ to 1200 USD$ to replace this unit, while you would pay between 1300 USD$ to 2,500 USD$ for a non-warranty replacement.

• A malfunctioning thermostat

Your HVAC air conditioner will also blow hot air if you have a malfunctioning thermostat. Sometimes, your thermostat would become unresponsive and not turn on even when pressing the buttons or changing the display. That happens because of a problem with the wiring, which disrupts the user signal. You might also require a new one if yours is over ten years old.

• Leakage in the refrigerant

The refrigerant plays a vital role in your air conditioning unit and changes into gaseous or liquid form wherever required. It enables the exchange of hot and cold air inside the system. The freon turns to a liquid state while passing through the condenser before entering the evaporator coils and then goes back to a gaseous state while extracting the heat from the rings, enabling them to blow cold air inside your house.

A leakage prevents the entire cycle, thus leading to your AC releasing hot air. The most common reasons behind refrigerant leakage are metal erosion because of formic acid, wear and tear with repeated use, weak elastomer seals, constant vibration, and even weakened heat pumps.

• Dirty air filters

A dirty air filter is problematic for many reasons. It not only prevents the entry of cool air inside your house but can also stop the motor, fan, or compressor from functioning efficiently. A blocked filter also leads to heat-trapping around the coils and obstructing the return vent (return vents extract the hot air from your room), which leads to your air conditioner blowing hot air.

• Tripped amp breakers

A tripped amp breaker might cause your outdoor condensing unit to stop working. Amp breakers and fuses protect your HVAC system from drastic electrical surges, and they should always work correctly.

 

 

Things to do check before calling the technician

Even though you will need the assistance of a professional to fix any issues with your cooling system, it is advisable to check some things before calling them.

• Check for dirty filters

You could remove the panels and check if the filter is dirty or dusty. If you haven’t used your cooling system for a long time, dirt getting collected on it is pretty high.

• Turn the AC on and off

You could also try turning off the AC and letting the ice melt if your evaporator coil has frozen and is causing the problem. If your entire HVAC system, including the air conditioner, has stopped working, you could try resetting the breaker.

• Remove any furniture near supply vents

Sometimes, placing your furniture near the supply vents also blocks the airflow inside the return vent, preventing the release of cool air. You must remove any furniture located near them.

• Try checking your thermostat

Your thermostat could also be causing issues with your system. You must check whether you have set it at “auto” rather than “on” since the on mode would make the fan run continuously, despite the room temperature, resulting in the release of the warm air.

 

How can a technician help you?

You must call an AC repair technician to fix any issues with your HVAC air conditioner because you might injure yourself while trying to do it yourself or cause permanent damage to the system.

They would fix the refrigerant leaks, clean the evaporator coil and the dirty filters, fix your thermostat if required, and take all the necessary measures to ensure they solve your problem.

If the refrigerant requires charging, the professional would do that or clean the drain pan if that would solve the issue. You could ask them the reason behind the problem and ways of preventing it in the future.

The details mentioned above will help you understand why your air conditioner blows hot air, which prevents the system from releasing cool air inside your room. However, it is advisable to call the technicians since they possess the tools, knowledge, and skills to fix the issue immediately.