AHHH My Air Conditioner Isn’t Cooling! What Do I Do?

Take a deep breath and then let it out. First thing to check is the thermostat. This is the controller of the hvac system. Do you have a display on the screen or is it blank. Batteries go bad and can keep the system from operating. If you have a visible display screen with the inside temperature and the set point (desired temperature) and no “replace batteries” icon then we need to look at the air filter. Do you hear air moving through the air filter or the noise of the indoor blower operating? A loud noise of air or whistling and vibrating return air grill could mean you have a dirty filter and the system is not moving enough air. Remove the air filter and set it aside if it is clogged and over due to be replaced. Do you hear or feel air moving through the return air filter grill? If yes then you have a functioning blower, if not you may have a bad fan capacitor, bad blower motor or bad control board. If you don’t hear anything, make sure the thermostat is set to cool, set to a cooling temperature, and move the fan switch from AUTO to ON. Do you hear the fan or feel air moving at the return air filter grill? If yes then you need to check the air flow coming out of the supply air grill. Find a supply grill that you can reach or feel to confirm that air is coming out of the grill. Remember how much air you normally feel from this supply grill and is it blowing about the same? Go outside and see if the outdoor unit (condenser) is operating. Do you see any ice or frost on the big copper line? If you see ice then the system is frozen up and needs to de-ice. Sometimes the ice is not visible on the outside line or condenser but is frozen inside the evaporator coil. Go look at the indoor evaporator coil (if you can safely access it) and look at the big copper line where it enters the cabinet. Is there ice and water dripping from the copper pipe?  A frozen evaporator coil will block the air flow from entering your duct work and you may not feel much or any airflow. If the airflow is weak or absent then you need to shut off the air conditioner by moving the MODE switch from cool to OFF and move or keep the FAN switch to ON. (Note: if you don’t hear the indoor blower motor noise or feel any air moving at the return air filter grill then you need to turn the MODE to OFF and FAN back to AUTO because you have have a failed capacitor, control board, or blower motor.) Call Air Max to schedule a repair to your system.

Keep the thermostat FAN switch to ON for several hours or as long as possible to allow the entire evaporator coil to de-ice. Remember that this evaporator coil in enclosed in an insulated box and may take hours to fully defrost. Check the air flow from the most accessible supply grill and determine if you feel more air flow and that it is back to normal flow even though it is now warm air. Look outside and check that the ice is gone from the condenser. If you have allowed enough time for it to de-ice and the air flow feels normal then you have a decision to make. Could the system have frozen up because of a really stopped up air filter and the thermostat was set at 68 degrees or lower? If the air filter was extremely dirty and clogged then I would suggest turning the thermostat MODE to COOL and the FAN to AUTO. Check the thermostat several times and see if the indoor air temperature display is going down and the system is cooling. If this is the case then hurray and you have solved that problem. However, if the air filter was not stopped up and the thermostat setting was not set at 68 degrees or lower then you possibly have a refrigerant leak and the system is freezing up due to low refrigerant. Now would be the time to call and schedule a service call to Air Max to provide a refrigerant leak search and suggest repairs, substitute refrigerant, or replacement options. Just remember that a frozen evaporator coil is not “serviceable” and needs to be de-iced before any leak search or repair can take place.

With low refrigerant levels the air conditioner will continue to frost and ice until the problem has been corrected. If you have to turn the system back on to cool, I would suggest setting it at a much higher temperature and monitor the air flow and see if ice is forming on the large copper line at evaporator. Eventually if it operates long enough with this current refrigerant level it will freeze up again until it is repaired, re charged with alternative refrigerant, or the leaking evaporator coil is replaced. Please call Air Max at 601-939-0015 or schedule and appointment on our website at www.airmax.ms and we will do our very best to contact you and schedule an appointment. Thank you for reading this blog and I hope it was helpful in your situation. Take care and God Bless.