AC Not Blowing Cold Air: Do You Know What to Do?

The air conditioner is one of the ultimate inventions when it comes to keeping our homes comfortable even in the hottest of months. While we wish that the air conditioner would merrily hum along all through the warm months, just about every homeowner has dealt with air conditioner problems. A common issue that homeowners report is that the air conditioner seems to be running, but it is not giving off cool air. This is a fairly common issue so before you call Front Range HVAC, you can take some steps to see if you can fix it yourself. Here are steps to take when your air conditioner isn’t blowing cool air.

What to Do When Your AC is Not Blowing Cold Air

Before you begin, shut off all power to the air conditioning unit and the air handler. The air handler is the large metal box inside your home that helps handle air conditioning duties.

• Remove the panel door to gain access to the inside of the air handler.
• Check the filter, replace if the filter is bent, torn, damp or otherwise compromised.
• Check for ice around the coils.
• If you find ice, power the unit back on and let run on the fan setting to help melt the ice. This should take around 1-2 hours.
• After the ice melts, try again. If the air is cool, you’ve fixed the problem. If it still blowing warm air, move on to the following steps.
• Check the condensate drain. This is a drain pipe that comes out of the air handler. Check to see that it is open and drain properly. Clean off any excess algae or buildup.
• Clean the compressor. The compressor is the box outside of your home. Shut the power off to the compressor and clean off any accumulation on top of the grill. After this remove the grill and clean off the fan’s blades. Use a combination of a garden hose and soft brush. Reassemble the unit and power everything back on.

If none of these has worked there’s still hope. Double check to make sure the outdoor compressor is turning on when the air conditioning is running. If the fan on the compressor isn’t spinning the first check is for an overload or reset switch and try that out.

You can also try manually spinning the blades (with something like a screwdriver, never your hands!) This may give the blades a boost to begin spinning on their own.

If none of these steps worked, it may be time to call Front Range HVAC to get things up and running for you. Make sure you choose a local, licensed and reliable HVAC company like us to help repair your AC today.