Air conditioners draw in warm air, “condition” it with refrigerant, and then blow the super cooled air out through the vents and duct work in your home. When you turn the system on you should hear the fan or blower kick on and feel cool air coming out after a minute or two. If your AC unit is blowing out hot air instead you may have a problem. Here are some tips on what to do if your system is not working as it should.

Check the Thermostat

This may seem like a simple thing that most people would know to do, but often we forget to check to make sure that the system is set on “cool”, especially if you’ve had a few cold nights and used your furnace or you have children who may have accidentally turned it on the heat setting. It may just not be set right. If it is set on the proper settings and you can hear the fan kick on, then the thermostat is doing its job.

Feel the Air Coming Out of the Vent

Let the system run for a few minutes and feel the air coming out. If it’s blowing out warm air then most likely it is probably low on refrigerant. If this is the case, it is easy to remedy. You’d need to call an HVAC technician to recharge your refrigerant levels.

Turn the System Off

What you should do now is turn the system off and contact a certified HVAC company for a service call. It is important not to run your system when it is low on coolant because it can cause your compressor to lock up and once that happens, it becomes a costly AC repair job. Turning it off when you realize there is a problem will save your system from being damaged.

Expert Tips

The first thing to do when troubleshooting any type of electrical equipment is to check the simple things first. Often times it is a simple thing like the system not being set at the right temperature or it has been turned off. If you check these things first and it does not resolve the issue, then the next logical step is to call someone who has experience with heating and cooling systems and have them diagnose the problem. If problems are addressed immediately, they are often less expensive to repair because other parts of the system have not become damaged yet.

Call an AC Repair Service

Your AC repair technician will inspect your system thoroughly; refill Freon and check to see that all connections are tight and that there are no air leaks. They will also want to check the condition of your compressor to make sure that it is working properly. The most common reasons for a lack of cool air is low Freon or the compressor has stopped working.

If your air conditioner isn’t working properly, remember the tips from above and call your AC repair service. ABA Heating and Cooling services all models of air conditioners and offers quick and speedy service at affordable rates. Don’t let problems go to long or you could end up needing a total AC replacement instead of a simple repair job.