Why is My AC Unit Blowing Hot Air?
On a hot summer day, nothing is worse than an AC system blowing hot air. Why does this happen? J.D. Swallow, one of the premier heating and cooling contractors serving Ottawa, explores the reasons for this unpleasant occurrence.
Your AC Unit is Low/Out of Refrigerant
There are two possibilities here: either your AC system has exhausted its refrigerant reservoir, or the system has a refrigerant leak. To confirm which one it is, examine your air conditioner, which is constructed of two main components: an outside unit and an inside unit. Combined, these units cool your home. If ice has formed on either of these, then you’re low on or out of refrigerant. This is easily remedied by contacting our HVAC company and making an appointment for a Freon charge. On the other hand, if no ice is apparent anywhere on your air conditioner, you likely have a Freon leak. Another hint that there’s a leak is if your AC system is pumping nothing but hot air. Contact J.D. Swallow and we’ll locate and fix the leak quickly and inexpensively. 
Dirty Evaporator Coil
If you neglect to change your air filter on a timely basis, you risk dirtying your evaporator coil. If this happens, the dirty evaporator coil will inhibit your air conditioner from adequately cooling your home. It won’t matter how low you set your thermostat – the result will always be hot air. Remedying this problem involves changing the air filter, which you can do on your own. However, the evaporator must be cleaned, and this is a job for a professional HVAC company.
Compromised External AC Unit
This is fancy way of saying that the outside unit of your AC system is hampered by dirt and debris to the point that the system’s cooling ability is seriously impaired. Inspect the unit for leaves, branches, dirt build-up, and anything else that might be blocking the air flow from the condenser coils. Remove whatever you find and see if that improves your air conditioner’s cooling power. If it doesn’t, or does but only marginally so, you may need your AC system’s condenser coils cleaned. This should be done by an HVAC expert, and it’s something that must be done regularly over the summer in order to avoid bigger problems.
Outside Unit Loses Power
It’s possible that the outside unit of your AC system could lose power while the inside unit doesn’t. This scenario could lead to warm air seeping through your home’s ventilation system. There are two places where the outside unit can lose power. One is the emergency shutoff switch, which is probably on the wall close to the outside unit. It may have been switched off accidentally, so check and see if this is the case. If not, the other possibility is that the circuit breaker was tripped. Go to your fuse box and see if the breaker was tripped for the outside unit. If it was, reset it.
Contact an AC Professional
Air conditioning repair is just one of many HVAC solutions provided by J.D. Swallow. We also have decades of experience with furnace installation and repair, tankless hot water heaters, humidifiers, radiant heating service, and much more. Contact us today and take advantage of our on-time guarantee, flexible scheduling, and competitive pricing.