Help! My Air Conditioner Stopped Blowing Cold Air
Let’s imagine this scenario: It’s August, and it’s one of those days that populates much of August in the Capital Region–an absolute scorcher. You drive home from work, step out of your car, and move briskly to the front door, trying your best to escape even a brush with the oppressive heat and thick humidity. You open the door, walk into your house, and to your surprise, the house is not the cool reprieve from the punishing heat and humidity outside–in fact it’s nearly as hot and humid inside as it is outside. At this point, you know that you’ve got a serious issue; clearly, your air conditioning has stopped blowing cold air.
If you have experienced this scenario in the past, or are experiencing it right now, you know how serious of a problem it can be. If your air conditioner is not blowing cold air, it can not only be a sweaty inconvenience; it can actually be dangerous, especially as the dog days of August inch closer with every passing day. So why has your air conditioner stopped working properly, and what can be done to rectify the situation as quickly as possible?
Why Isn’t My Air Conditioner Blowing Cold Air?
There are a few common reasons that can explain why your air conditioner has stopped doing its job:
- A dirty or clogged air filter is one of the most frequent causes for a sudden ceasing of cold air distribution by an air conditioner. Basically, if you don’t regularly change your filter, there’s a good chance that it’s getting stuffed up with debris from tiny dust and dirt particles in the air; a clogged filter prevents proper airflow, which will significantly limit or completely eliminate cooling capabilities. If this is the biggest issue, a simple filter replacement should do the trick.
- Various components of an air conditioner can become susceptible to leakage and general wear and tear if you aren’t practicing regular maintenance from an HVAC specialist. This can range from a refrigerant leak to loose or poorly sealed air ducts, leading to poor air cooling or cool air escaping ducts instead of cooling rooms, respectively. There’s also the possibility that a dirty compressor or dirty evaporator coils are the perpetrator, which again will reduce or just plain cut off cooling in the spaces that you want to keep cool.
- There are a few smaller issues that could also be compromising cooling. Check the power cords linking your air conditioning to an electricity source to make sure that they aren’t damaged, see if a circuit breaker may have tripped and reset the breaker accordingly, and check to make sure that your thermostat is functioning properly. Sometimes a simple battery switch on your thermostat or a breaker reset can be the surprisingly simple solution to an AC that has stopped blowing cold air.
I’ve Tried the Simpler Solutions, But No Luck. Now What?
If you’ve checked your thermostat, replaced your filter, and reset your breaker to no avail, you’ve reached the point where you need to contact an HVAC specialist to get your air conditioning professionally diagnosed and promptly repaired. Trying to find an amateur fix on your own can be risky; air conditioners have a lot of moving parts and dangerous chemicals, and if you try to make a fix yourself without the proper expertise, you may end up accidentally causing further damage to your AC system–or yourself.
Luckily, the folks here at Appolo Heating know how dangerous and stressful a broken air conditioner can be, especially on the hottest of hot days, which is why we offer 24/7 emergency service! Our tech will look at the air conditioning, find the problem, and then explain to you just what the problem is, and what can be done to rectify it. With over 50 years experience serving the area, you can be sure that we’ll be able to figure out the issue–and promptly fix it!
Wondering what other benefits air conditioning can have, aside from just keeping you cool? Read our blog on the health benefits of air conditioning!