Why Is My Air Conditioner Not Cooling my Home?
It’s the middle of Summer in Phoenix, Arizona and you notice that your home is warm, despite having your AC running continuously. In fact, when you put your hand near or under one of the AC vents, you feel warm air blowing from it.
First, it’s important to know how your AC system works. A common belief is that air conditioners produce cold air, but that is actually not the case. Instead, your air conditioner uses a compressed refrigerant to remove heat from within your home by passing air over an evaporator coil in an air handler which then moves it outdoor by transferring heat to the condenser. Simply put, an air conditioner moves heat from inside your home to outside your home.
Here are few steps you can take:
Step 1: Check Your Thermostat Settings
Make sure that your thermostat is set to “AUTO” rather than “ON”. If your thermostat is set to “ON” or “Fan”, then this means that your AC unit will only be blowing air through the duct system, while no heat will be removed from the air within your home.
Step 2: Check Your AC Air Filter
Make sure your AC air filter is relatively clean and that air can easily flow through it. A dirty air filter reduces air flow into your AC system. This in turn hampers your AC system’s ability to efficiently circulate enough cooler air through your home and can cause your evaporator coil to freeze.
Step 3: Check your Outside Unit
If the outside AC unit (condenser) is dirty or caked with debris, it will struggle to efficiently dissipate heat from your home and therefore, make it harder to effectively cool your home.
Additionally, your outside AC unit may have a refrigerant leak.
AC refrigerant is a liquid chemical that absorbs the heat from the hot air from within your home. If your refrigerant level is too low, your AC unit is unable to absorb enough heat from the air. A low refrigerant level indicates that you have a refrigerant leak.
If you suspect that you have a refrigerant leak, you should only have a licensed HVAC technician repair it. And because refrigerant is so hazardous, by law, the EPA requires that a certified professional address any AC refrigerant related issues.
Your outside AC unit could also have ice buildup on the refrigerant line and the outside unit due to faulty components.
If this is the case, we suggest contacting the HVAC professionals at Eagle Air so that we can accurately pinpoint the problem quickly.
You could also have a faulty or broken condenser fan motor.
If your AC Unit’s condenser fan motor is failing or has failed, then the outdoor unit’s fan can’t help dissipate heat, meaning that the AC can’t cool your house.
If you see these signs, turn off your AC and call a professional ASAP. Running the AC in this state can cause slugging in the compressor and damage it beyond repair.
You could also have a bad compressor.
The compressor is in an AC system is what circulates the refrigerant between the inside and outside of the unit. If you suspect that your compressor is not working properly or has failed, it may need to be replaced. Unfortunately, the compressor is a very expensive part, so it may make more sense to replace the entire AC unit.
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