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AC running but not cooling?

Three things cause this most of the time. Here's how to tell which one you've got, what to do right now, & what it costs to find out for sure.

Check these first, two minutes

Outdoor unit. Is the fan on top spinning? If the unit hums but the fan is still, that's a capacitor. Common, we stock them. Turn the unit off in the meantime.
Filter. Pull it. If you can't see light through it, that alone can make a system blow warm.
Ice. Look at the copper lines at the air handler. If there's frost, turn the system off & let it thaw before anyone can diagnose it.
Thermostat. Set to Cool, not Fan. It happens.

What it usually is

Dirty coil

Florida air carries dust, pollen & salt. A coil that hasn't been cleaned in a couple of years can't move heat. The system runs all day & the house stays at 78.

Low refrigerant

Refrigerant doesn't get used up. If it's low, it leaked. Topping it off without finding the leak is a yearly bill, not a fix. We find the leak.

Capacitor

Fails in the heat. Bulged top, fan won't start, compressor hums. Quick fix, & we won't charge you $500 for a $75 part.

What it costs to find out

Residential$95$130 after hours

Commercial$125$160 after hours

Regular hours are Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm. You get a written price before anything gets fixed. If it's a capacitor you'll know in the first ten minutes.

From the gallery of gross

Dirty coil, dirty filter. Nine out of ten not cooling calls are in here somewhere.

See the gallery of gross

Questions people ask

If the outdoor fan isn't spinning or there's ice on the lines, turn it off. Otherwise you can leave it on, it won't get better but it usually won't get worse in a few hours.

Sometimes. If one room is warm & the rest are fine, that's a duct or a damper, not the unit. Ductwork is its own thing.

Not because of this alone. A dirty coil or a capacitor is a repair. A leak on a 12 year old system is where we'd put a replacement number next to the repair so you can compare.

Think comfort. Think Aphex.