Climate controlled air helps keep your home cool during the hot Fort Pierce, Florida, summer months. The disruption of airflow is often a sign of a greater issue. Here are the top five reasons your system is blowing hot air.
Frozen Coils
Ice on the coils can block cool air from entering your home, meaning the fan is just pushing through hot air. It may seem unlikely that the evaporator coils of an HVAC unit can freeze, especially in the hot Florida weather. However, this is more common than you’d think. Coils may freeze when the air conditioner tries to cool air with settings below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
This temperature is far lower than a normal air conditioner goes. However, your HVAC can produce levels this cold when trying to meet very low settings quickly. Typically, homeowners crank their thermostat too low to get their house to cool down fast. However, that can backfire when the coils freeze over trying to reach the thermostat’s setting. Instead, allow your home to reach the normal temperature at its normal rate and avoid setting your system super low to try to speed up the process.
Defective Breaker Switch
A defective or blown breaker switch can lead to hot airflow. Your system consists of an internal and external component. If the electricity to the external component gets cut off, it will seem like your internal component is working fine but somehow the air isn’t coming out cool. If you’re hearing the thermostat click the fan on but your vents are only putting out hot air, go outside to check if the fan outside is running. If it isn’t, you may need to replace the breaker switch. That’ll get electricity back to the exterior unit and your home temperature back under control.
Refrigerant Levels
Low refrigerant or refrigerant leaks can create serious issues. Refrigerant is vital for the process of changing the temperature of your indoor air. Low or depleted levels can lead to hot air being pumped back into your home. Check around your external unit for any leaks. This is a telltale sign that something is wrong. Refrigerant leaks can’t be handled on your own. You’ll need a professional to come in, patch the leak and replenish refrigerant levels. It’s better to do this sooner rather than later. Low refrigerant levels can put a lot of stress on the unit and lead to more costly repairs down the road.
Thermostat Settings
It’s important to check your thermostat settings if you notice that hot air is coming out of your system. Whether you forgot to change it or something got bumped, it’s common for people to think something has gone wrong when it’s just the settings. Check that the thermostat is set to cool the house and that the fan isn’t turned off. Alternatively, if you have selected "on" instead of "auto" on fan settings, your fan may be running constantly, which can push what feels like hot air into your home. It’s actually just recycling the air that’s already in your house but isn’t cooling it.
Wiring issues can also play havoc with your home’s temperature. When you change settings on your thermostat and there are issues with wiring, those new settings often won’t carry over even though they appear to be programmed correctly on your end. This can lead to incorrect temperature settings and warm air circulation. Other signs of wiring issues include multiple clicking noises without the fan turning on or no airflow at all. If electricity issues are your problem, you may need to get the wiring looked at by a professional or purchase a new thermostat.
Dirty Filter
Finally, a dirty filter can cause issues with your home’s airflow. A clogged filter prevents air from getting through, reducing the amount of air that your exterior component is able to cool. You may feel hot air coming from your vents as a consequence. Be sure to regularly change your filter to prevent this from happening. Every month or so is typically okay, especially if you have an appropriately rated MERV filter. However, if your family members have allergies or asthma, you may want to change your filter twice a month to prevent contaminants and irritants from getting in your airflow.
Is your air conditioner blowing hot air? Grimes Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Give our experts a call at (772) 800-6416 to set up an appointment today!
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