Posted April 27, 2016 by Energy-Star Warm weather is upon us and that means many of us are turning on the AC for the first time all season! While this is good news for most of us, some will find their cooling equipment isn’t quite up to the task following the long down time. One of the most frequent questions we get is “Why is my air conditioner blowing warm air?” It happens at the beginning of the season as often as it happens at the middle and the end, and it can be frustrating for homeowners looking for relief from the heat outside. So what causes this malfunction? Unfortunately, there’s not one answer. Several things could be going on that would cause your AC to blow warm or hot air. Luckily, many of the issues are easy to diagnose and fix, while others require professional skills. Here are a few quick ways to troubleshoot if your AC stops blowing cool air: This is the classic “Too obvious to bother checking” symptom. It’s easy to overlook the thermostat settings.

Make sure you’re on “Cool” and that the temperature is set to the proper degree . Filters are there to get dirty. They collect dirt and dust and other pollutants to keep them from entering your home’s air. When they get too dirty, they restrict airflow and can have a huge effect on how your AC unit performs. Regularly cleaning or replacing your filters is an essential piece of regular maintenance. Like a dirty air filter, a frozen coil will block airflow, meaning only warm air from the unit’s motor will be pushed through the system. Condensation from the unit can freeze along the evaporator coils if the equipment is not regularly maintained. Low on Refrigerant – AC units depend on refrigerant to rapidly chill passing air. Leaks and extended use can reduce the levels of refrigerant, leading to poor performance. A broken or disconnected return duct could be pulling uncooled air into your home’s ventilation system. Central air systems have two main portions: The indoor component which uses a fan to distribute the air through ducts, and the outdoor component, which is the actual equipment cooling the air.

It’s possible for the indoor section to have power, while the outdoor unit does not, meaning the fans will be pushing around air that has never been cooled. home ac unit running but not coolingA blown fuse, flipped breaker, or poor wiring could be to blame. how much do window ac units cost to runIn any case, it’s essential that you consult a professional to fix these issues.outdoor ac unit does not turn on The compressor is the workhorse of an AC unit. They typically last for many years, but after enough time or extended use, they will inevitably fail. Proper maintenance can extend the lifetime of this component. It’s important to be familiar with your home’s most essential systems. If you’re experiencing poor performance from your air conditioner, call a professional immediately and allow our years of experience to serve you.

Many of the issues above can be easily avoided through regular professional maintenance BEFORE an issue arises. We offer discounted service contracts that will allow you to avoid problems with your AC, while extending the life of your equipment.A computer room air conditioning (CRAC) unit is a device that monitors and maintains the temperature, air distribution and humidity in a network room or data center. CRAC units are replacing air-conditioning units that were used in the past to cool data centers. According to Industrial Market Trends, mainframes and racks of servers can get as hot as a seven-foot tower of powered toaster ovens, so climate control is an important part of the data center's infrastructure. There are a variety of ways that the CRAC units can be situated. One CRAC setup that has been successful is the process of cooling air and having it dispensed through an elevated floor. The air rises through the perforated sections, forming cold aisles. The cold air flows through the racks where it picks up heat before exiting from the rear of the racks.

The warm exit air forms hot aisles behind the racks, and the hot air returns to the CRAC intakes, which are positioned above the floor. >> Stay up to date by receiving the latest IT term daily. Simply check "Word of the Day" to register.In the summer, many of us can’t bear to live without it, but even so, cool air is a modern luxury that sometimes seems to freak people out. “We had forms of heating for a very long time before we ever had air conditioning,” says Dr. Stan Cox, senior scientist at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, and author of Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World. Cox points out that as recently as the 1960s, only 12 percent of Americans had some kind of AC in their homes. While heat was an absolute necessity for people to live in cold climates, Cox says, air conditioning is more of a newcomer on the climate-controlled front. And research suggests that a little freaking out is warranted. “If you have a badly maintained or badly designed AC system, whether it’s in your home or office or vehicle, it can become contaminated and potentially harmful,” says Dr. Mark Mendell, an epidemiologist with the California Department of Public Health.

Mendell studied the health effects of air conditioning systems while with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He says worsening asthma problems and allergies are two health issues that can stem from contaminated AC units. He also mentions an ominous-sounding phenomenon: sick building syndrome. “We started seeing it in the 70s and 80s,” Mendell says. “People in office buildings started saying the building was making them sick.” He says sick building syndrome was associated with a range of seemingly unrelated symptoms: nasal congestion, breathing problems, headaches, fatigue and irritated skin. His own research has linked AC systems in office buildings to many of those same symptoms. “The most likely explanation is that there may be some microorganisms growing in the system that may have some subtle effect on certain people,” Mendell says. “But it’s not clear how many people are sensitive to this or how big of a problem it is.”

Unlike heating systems, the process of cooling hot air creates a lot of moisture and condensation, which must be channeled away, Mendell explains. If your AC system does a bad job of this, whether due to poor maintenance, damage or shoddy design, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. To protect yourself, he says, your best defense is a well-maintained and routinely serviced AC unit. (HVAC repairmen, you owe this guy!) But Mendell is also quick to point out that AC has been firmly linked to many health benefits. “Outdoor air pollution is common in urban environments, and especially in heavy traffic,” he says as just one example. “AC filters out the particles in outdoor pollutants.” Exposure to airborne pollution particles can raise your risk for hospital admissions and premature death due to cardiovascular issues, says Dr. Michelle Bell, a professor of environmental health at Yale University. Bell’s research found the use of well-maintained AC use lowered a person’s risk for these health complications.

“Use of central air conditioning causes less outdoor air pollution to penetrate indoors compared to open windows,” she says. Both Bell and Mendell also say that during intense heat waves, AC saves lives. If this seesawing between AC’s benefits and risks feels disorienting, you’re not alone. “Anyone who does research on these systems will admit there’s still a lot of things we don’t know,” Mendell says. What isn’t in doubt, though, is air conditioning’s very real and harmful impact on the planet. “The headline issue is its contribution to greenhouse warming,” says Cox, the Land Institute environmental researcher. Indoor heating has long been a bigger contributor than AC to the accumulation of harmful greenhouse gasses, Cox says. But the U.S. population’s southward shift has allowed AC to catch up—and maybe draw even. Despite his concern for the planet, Cox says that AC can be life saving and beneficial. But he takes issue with what he calls our “lavish” use of any climate control conveniences.

Setting our thermostats a bit higher in summer and a little lower in winter would benefit the environment without affecting anyone’s health, he says. In fact, a little thermal discomfort could be good for you. People tend to eat more and gain more weight when the temperature is perfectly cozy, Cox says. “When we’re a little cold or a little warm, our metabolism runs faster,” he says. Research backs him up: One recent study found exposure to cold temps—enough to make you shiver—may increase your body’s stores of healthy, energy-burning brown fat. Cox adds that your body can adapt to a range of temperatures. (This is why you break out the shorts and T-shirts on that first 65-degree spring day, but the same thermostat reading in autumn sends you hunting for jeans and sweaters.) So if you can cut out the heat or cold for a week or two, your body will often acclimate to temperatures you found unpleasant at first—and easing up a bit on the AC will make the planet thank you, too.