Four Potential Reasons Your A/C Is Blowing Warm Air

It happens sometimes – usually on the hottest day of the year: you set your thermostat, ready to enjoy the cool comfort of your air conditioned home when your reach down to find the vents are blowing warm air.

What to do?

Well, that depends on why your air conditioner is blowing warm air. Here are four of the most common reasons:

1. The thermostat is incorrectly set – If your thermostat is set to “on,” your fan will continue to blow even when your A/C is not cooling the air (operating in the “heat” setting will cause the same problem). Make sure your thermostat is on its “cool” or “auto” setting.
2. There’s an airflow constriction – Constricted airflow could be preventing air from making its way through your ductwork and into your vents to cool your home. Common causes for airflow constriction include:
   • A blocked air filter
   • Blocked vents
   • Overdue annual air conditioning maintenance

   Keep vents clear of furniture, curtains, and other obstructions. Check your A/C air filter at least once a month, replacing it if it’s dirty (a clogged filter can reduce cooling system efficiency by as much as 20 percent) – and if you haven’t had annual air conditioning maintenance yet in 2018, schedule your appointment now, before summer hits full stride.

3. The compressor isn’t receiving power – One possible reason for your compressor to stop working is a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker; check the circuit to make sure the compressor is still receiving power. If resetting circuit breaker or replacing the fuse doesn’t restore power to your compressor, contact us for service.
4. Your compressor is low on refrigerant or needs professional repair – The most common cause of warm air blowing through your vents is either a problem with the compressor or low refrigerant. You may also have a broken or disconnected return duct that is pulling in unconditioned air from outside or an attic space. In all these cases, you will need help from a professional technician.

Not getting peak performance from your home cooling system? Time to call the pros at Bottini. Contact us today for expert HVAC tune-ups, HVAC repairs and HVAC maintenance any of our service areas.