This is a question is touched upon in the FAQ section of the website “Why is my air conditioner blowing hot air”, but I’ve decided to take a question a week, and expand on it, give you more information.  The answer I gave in the FAQ is that it could be a number of things.  I’ll give you the answers from my perspective.  The good news is—it’s blowing, the bad news is, it’s not cold air coming out of the vents.  This would work better with a flow chart but that’s not possible so let’s proceed.  One of the questions I will ask if you call is:  Have you ever had refrigerant added to this system?  If the answer is yes then I would ask you how long ago.  Last year, you say.  “I have to add it every year”, is another familiar response.  YOU HAVE A LEAK.  Your air conditioning system is comparable to the human body.  The refrigerant is like the blood in your body.  You don’t add blood once a year unless you are bleeding.  Same thing with your A/C unit.  You don’t need refrigerant every year unless you are leaking. 

I’ve heard it all, starting with, “The last company came out and fixed my leak and charged me so-and-so dollars, but now it’s not cooling again.  I tried to call them but they’re out of business.”  Yep, sounds about right.  It’s very rare that a freon leak can be FIXED.  More times than not, the leak is in an area that can’t be repaired and the leaking piece of equipment must be replaced.  clean room hvac systemAnother one I get is, “the last company put some stuff in my system to stop the leak, kinda like the stuff they add to leaking radiators.”  best air conditioner and furnace unitsIf someone tells you this, RUN!  air handling unit sensorsDon’t let an A/C technician add anything to your system except refrigerant. 

It doesn’t work and it can cause more severe damage to your system.  It can cause early failure of your compressor.  Acme has been around for almost 30 years.  We fix things and fix them right, the first time.  Our customer reviews will verify that.  Our customers depend on us to give them honest advice and make the repair they know is necessary. Sometimes leaks start out small and refrigerant is only needed every couple of years.  Just keep in mind, adding refrigerant to any leaking system is throwing money away.  Some people think it’s okay to let them run low on refrigerant and just add when it gets really hot outside and the A/C system can’t keep up.  Just know that the cool refrigerant coming back to the compressor from the evaporator coil is what cools the compressor.  If the air conditioning system is running low on refrigerant then the compressor is not getting the same amount of cooling refrigerant and this will cause the compressor to run hot, which in turn can cause compressor failure. 

It’s a domino effect, as with most problems in the air conditioning system.  A small problem dominos into a big one if not immediately addressed.  When you know your system is not cooling, immediately TURN IT OFF.  I’ve been to so many houses where the customer knows the air conditioning unit is not cooling and leaves it running, I arrive, say the condenser fan motor is out, and the unit is just running and running.  Keep in mind, the compressor and the condenser fan motor don’t talk, the compressor doesn’t know the condenser fan motor is not running, it only knows that it’s getting hotter and hotter by the second until finally, an internal switch notices this and shuts the compressor off.  But not before it got really hot.  Then the compressor is off long enough to cool and guess what, it comes back on, runs until it gets hot, shuts off, cools, comes on, gets hot….you see my point.  It’s hard on a compressor to do this.  The same thing can happen when a compressor runs low on refrigerant…gets hot, shuts off, cools off, starts back up.  

The best thing is to have your system serviced each Spring before the really hot weather hits and make sure your system is running properly and full of refrigerant.  If you know you’ve got a leak, stop throwing money away and have the leak located, repaired or replaced. What is the best way to locate the leak?  We use a “sniffer” type refrigerant locater.  Some companies use dye that is added to your system and then use a UV light.  As I stated earlier in this post, adding anything to your system other than the refrigerant is tricky and we just won’t do it.  Also, you can use soap bubbles to suspicious joints and try and find leaks that way.  It’s just the choice of the contractor, what they feel is the best way to locate the leak.  The most common place we find refrigerant leaks are in the evaporator coil.  One of the problems with evaporator coils is that they condensate.  As they condensate year after year, they will start to rust, as they rust, the rust will flake off causing pinhole refrigerant leaks, and lots of them. 

Another problem with evaporator coils is the coil itself.  Like a radiator on a car, the coil has many pipes in a continuous pattern, back and forth.  On each end of the back-and-forth pattern is a U-bend.  Each u-bend represents a weld.  The cheaper/lower quality of the coil, the cheaper the metal and workmanship in this coil and the quicker the coil will develop leaks within it. Since low refrigerant levels are so common and a problem at probably 90% of the air conditioning service calls in Plano, Tx or Allen, Tx that we address, or any of the cities we cover, I thought I’d give more information this Friday morning about refrigerant leaks and the problems we encounter.    Rheem 1/6 H.P. 1-Speed 1075 RPM 230 Volt Condenser Motor. Call For Pricing and Availability Is it time to replace your old, worn-out heating and cooling system? If your heating and cooling equipment is more than 10 years old or isn't making your home as comfortable as you'd like, consider installing a high-efficiency system.

Make your home more comfortable Reduce your energy usage and carbon footprint Save you money for years to come And the best part? If your new equipment meets our eligibility requirements, you could get a $600 rebate! Switching to a more energy-efficient system can save you big. You might be surprised at which areas of your home use the most energy. Heating and cooling use the most energy in an average household – more than 40 percent of your monthly bill comes from the energy needed to heat and cool your home. Installing an energy-efficient heat pump can save you up to $300 on your heating and cooling costs each year. This chart illustrates how much you can save when you install a new HVAC system that uses less energy to heat and cool your home. A SEER number is an energy efficiency rating. The higher the number, the less energy the system needs to use to make your home comfortable. And the benefits add up! These figures represent the expected overall performance of the unit for a year, based on average weather and location.

Annual operating cost based on 3 ton heat pump and .10 kilowatt-hours. Average cooling degree days based on Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2009 - 2013. Operating cost vary depending on climate conditions, home characteristics, energy rates and usage patterns. This program is available to Duke Energy residential electric service customers residing in single-family homes, condominiums, mobile homes, townhomes and duplexes. Additionally, all application and supporting documentation must be successfully submitted and approved within 90 days of date of service after April 16, 2016. Find a participating contractor in your area. *On qualified HVAC replacement, a quality install checklist must be performed to ensure 90 percent net capacity has been achieved at time of installation as rated by AHRI.**Qualified product must be purchased through a participating contractor, installed and programmed through customer's home Wi-Fi network at time of equipment installation. How do I know if I'm eligible?

To be eligible, you must be a Duke Energy customer, and your new equipment must be installed by one of our participating contractors. Also, your equipment must meet the SEER/EER requirements listed in the table above.The program is open to residential customers in single-family and manufactured homes that are at least 1 year old. In addition, the program is also available for residential multifamily developments interested in making energy-efficient improvements to their existing residential buildings. What is a SEER/EER? The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) and Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) both are rating systems to measure the efficiency of your heat pump or air conditioner when it cools your home. The higher the number, the less energy the system uses. Make sure the unit you purchase has a SEER/EER rating certified by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). What is an HSPF? This is an energy efficiency rating for heat pumps.

The higher the number, the less energy the system uses in winter heating. Make sure the unit you purchase has an HSPF rating certified by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). What is an ECM fan motor? The electric fan in your indoor unit is responsible for a good portion of your electric heating costs. Older, standard fans use much more energy than new energy-efficient electronically commutative motor (ECM) fans. Sometimes called a �variable speed� fan, an ECM fan also offers many other features for added comfort in your home. An ECM fan on your indoor unit is required for each qualifying air conditioner or heat pump. Can a new home qualify for Smart $aver Incentives? Builders can submit an application for Smart $aver rebates on a new home after both of these events have occurred: 1) the HVAC system, including the outdoor unit, is fully installed and working and 2) the new home has the electric meter installed. How do I apply for the HVAC replacement incentive?

After the participating contractor completes the work, he or she will fill out and submit the rebate form, along with any required documentation. Once we receive it, you will get your cash rebate in the mail. What types of residential HVAC systems qualify for the Smart $aver incentive? What is a participating contractor? Each participating contractor is a local heating and cooling professional who has met Duke Energy requirements. Only these participating contractors are approved to perform work eligible for Duke Energy Smart $aver rebates. After the participating contractor completes the work, he or she will submit the rebate form to receive your cash incentive. Why does Duke Energy want to help me use less energy? By 2030, demand for electricity in the United States is expected to grow by approximately 25 percent. In the past, utilities like Duke Energy would build new power plants to keep up with the rising demand for power.But building new power plants is expensive, and each takes years to complete.