It’s a hot day and you desperately need to cool down. Naturally, you reached for the remote to turn on your air conditioner – only for it to blow warm air. ” Why is my AC blowing hot air?”, you thought to yourself while figuring out what could have caused the problem. You must be wondering what should you do to repair it and have the air con blow cold air once again.
Don’t sweat it (pun intended)! Here is how you can troubleshoot the issue and have it fixed by yourself or by calling in a professional to get it back to blowing cold air within minutes.
Common Issues Why AC Is Blowing Hot Air
Your air conditioner turns on and it blows, so it’s not technically non-operational. For a start, this simply means that the fan is still working but the issue lies within the cooling mechanism of your AC unit. Here are some things you can do to troubleshoot the issue and get it fixed!
1. Thermostat / Remote Control
The first thing you should check if your air conditioner is blowing hot air is the thermostat or the remote control to your air conditioner. Sometimes, the setting might get tempered and trust me, it happens. Ensure that the set temperature is lower than your ambient temperature. Air conditioner usually have a couple of modes but the more common ones are Auto, Cool and Dry.
Solution: Ideally, you would want to make sure that your thermostat or remote is set to Auto or Cool Mode if you want to your AC to blow cold air. The main difference between these 2 modes is that Auto regulates the temperature and speed based on the ambient temperature where as Cool Mode enables several other settings such as fan speed and air swing according to your desire.
2. Dirty Filters
When was the last time you cleaned your filters? Dirty or clogged filters are one of the regular culprits when it comes to why your air conditioner may be blowing warm air. An air filter that has not been cleaned in a while will have build-ups of dust and debris which prevents air from entering the system and flowing through the cooling coils. When this is the case, your indoor AC unit is essentially blowing back heat into your space.
Solution: Remove the air filter and wash or replace it according to your air conditioner type. Air filter replacements or maintenance should be done once every 1 to 2 months, depending on usage, room size and environmental climate. This is often a free or cheap step that takes about 5 minutes to get done.
3. Refrigerant Leak
“Refrigerant” is a substance (usually Freon) that flows through our air conditioning system to generate cool air. Being low on refrigerant can cause your AC unit to stop blowing cold air. Leaks can happen due to multiple reasons such as poor assembly, worn out service valve and loose joints somewhere in your system. If you suspect this is the case, have the issue addressed as quickly as possible to prevent further damage to your AC unit.
Solution: Refrigerant can’t be simply added. If you are low on it, there must be a leak somewhere which requires to be repaired or patched in advance before adding more refrigerant. The coolant substance is highly dangerous to be handled by non-professionals. This task requires experienced or qualified technicians to handle it.
4. Damaged Outdoor Unit
If the indoor unit seems fine, the issue may likely be caused by the outdoor unit. Inspect the outdoor AC unit and check if your outdoor unit is displaying any visible issues such as vibrating / shaking harshly, emitting loud noises, blocked or clogged by debris or leaves and so on.
Solution : Some of these can be fixed by cleaning up the area surrounding your outdoor AC unit or removing visible blockage by hands. You can also turn off the air conditioner and rinse off smaller debris, dirt and dust as an act of maintenance towards it.
Regular maintenance and early prevention is key
In a nutshell, it is best practice to conduct regular maintenance to all of the air conditioner within your household or office. Most of the time, the issue where your air conditioner is blowing hot or warm air can be solved with an easy fix. If the issue continues despite trying out these suggested solutions, immediately reach out to your local experts and arrange a visit by nearby air conditioner technicians as soon as possible.
Looking to find the perfect cooling solution? Explore our guide to the Top 5 Air Conditioners in Malaysia to discover the most efficient and reliable options available. Once you’ve diagnosed and fixed the hot air issue, it’s time to ensure you have the best cooling system in place!
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