Why is my Air Conditioner Blowing Hot Air?

As the hot Central Texas summer quickly approaches, many homeowners are turning on their air conditioners for the first time this season, only to find that they’re blowing warm air.  There are many reasons why an air conditioner might blow warm, or even hot, air.  Here’s a look at two of the most common causes.

Lack of Coolant

One of the easiest fixes is a lack of coolant.  Air conditioners use freon to cool air, but freon occasionally leaks out of a unit over time.  If your unit’s performance slowly declined last summer, it may have lost freon.  If it continued to lose freon over the winter, there might not be any cool air coming from your unit now.

Recharging the freon in a system is a relatively easy and inexpensive repair.  All a technician needs to do is refill the freon in the system and check for any leaks that might have led to the loss.

A Frozen Evaporator Coil

If you’re unit stopped performing soddenly while it was operating, it might have frozen up.  Yes, an air conditioner can freeze, and, when it does, it blows warm air.    As ironic as this may sound, a frozen evaporator coil is one of the most common issues with air conditioners that are blowing hot air.  For, a unit’s motor can still run without a functioning evaporator coil, and it will blow air just fine.  The air that it blows will be hot, though.  It doesn’t take long to thaw a frozen evaporator coil, especially in the Texas sun.  Just turning your system off and letting it sit idle for a couple of hours in the afternoon should melt the ice that’s built up inside the unit.  Although the immediate problem can be fixed by letting your unit thaw, you should still have it inspected by a professional.  A frozen evaporator coil shows that water’s building up inside the unit, and your system is being overworked.  A trained technician will be able to check your entire system for the underlying cause that led to the frozen coil.  If your air conditioner is blowing warm air, we can help you identify the cause.  Often, just a small fix will get a system up and running properly again.  One of our technicians can identify the precise issues and quickly remedy it for you, before the real heat of summer sets in.  At Comfort Control, we install and maintain systems to support your unique needs. Contact us today for an expert consultation.