When it’s getting hot out, a blast of nice, cool air from your air conditioning is just what the doctor ordered. The last thing you want is to turn that knob and end up with hot air in your face – that’s worse than nothing at all! Sadly, hot air from an AC is a common maintenance issue.

There are many reasons why an air conditioning unit might blow warm air. Luckily, most of them are relatively easy to resolve.

Let’s look at some likely culprits:

1) Thermostat Not Working Correctly
No matter how well the rest of your unit is working, your thermostat can cause it to do the wrong things at the wrong time. What’s worse, thermostats can fail without warning and may appear to be working correctly. Luckily, it only takes a few minutes to install a replacement.

2) Air Filter Needs Replacement
Air filters should be cleaned or replaced at least every six months, and often sooner if the HVAC system has been through heavy use. If the air filter is full of gunk, pollutants can accumulate and lower your indoor air quality. Plus, air may come out lukewarm instead of cool.

3) Condenser Unit Needs Cleaning
Your exterior condenser can become blocked with dirt, leaves, debris, snow, and much more. In most cases, simply cleaning the outside and removing any obstructions is enough to solve the problem. Condensers can be damaged by heavy storms, requiring repair.

4) Refrigerant Needs Refilling
Freon is the general name for the coolants used by your AC. It can also be used in your kitchen’s refrigerator. Some newer units use environmentally friendly Puron instead. No matter what refrigerant you use, however, it will eventually run out – and warm air will be the result.

5) Air Ducts Are Leaking
It’s often “out of sight, out of mind” for air ducts, so they might have problems that go unnoticed until the air conditioning unit starts acting up. A leak anywhere in the duct system can cause tepid air with poor airflow. Typically, an expert is needed to track down the source of the leak.

No matter what the cause of your AC issue, it’s important to get it diagnosed and resolved. Once you notice performance degradation, the problem is likely to get worse in a hurry. For expert help you can truly rely on, contact the team at Syles Mechanical Services.