Nothing is worse than calling your AC in the heart of summer only to realize that it’s not doing its job. You hear it running, you can see the air coming out of the vents, but your house just won’t cool down.

Your AC is working overtime for most of the year in Arizona, and during the hottest months it can be running for hours at a time. This means a number of things could go wrong or come to light. Fortunately, a warm house doesn’t always mean you need a new AC. Most common causes of an AC not cooling are pretty simple fixes or maintenance things that could have been done. Here are some of the most common AC not cooling causes in Arizona.

 1. Your AC Filter is Dirty Before you start calling for an AC replacement, take a look at your filter.

Your AC filter keeps dust, dirt, pet hair, and other things out of the system, but eventually, it’s going to get dirty and reduce the airflow that your system needs. Having a dirty air filter can cause all sorts of problems like the system running longer than normal, the air coming out of the vents being weaker than normal, or some rooms not being as cool as they should. Arizona is a pretty dusty place, so make sure your air filter isn’t dirty or clogged. If changing your air filter doesn’t seem to help, there is probably something else wrong with your AC.

 2. Your Thermostat is Broken Sometimes the culprit isn’t your AC at all, but rather your thermostat. Give it a quick once-over to make sure that it’s set to Cool instead of Heat and that the temperature it’s set to is lower than the temperature inside your home. If it requires batteries, it’s always a good idea to check those as well. There are also cases where the thermostat just isn’t communicating with the AC system. If everything seems fine with your thermostat but your AC still won’t cool your home, a professional HVAC technician can figure out if the issue lies with the thermostat or the AC itself.

3. Your Outdoor AC Unit is Dirty Your outdoor AC unit plays a major part in the cooling process. It removes the hot air that’s been collected by the indoor part of the system and gets rid of it. Unfortunately, the outdoor part of your AC unit is exposed to all kinds of dirt, dust, leaves, and other things that can build up on the coils and reduce the systems ability to get rid of heat. It’s a good idea to make sure that your outdoor AC unit isn’t surrounded by any plants, leaves, boxes, or other things that could be keeping the AC from cooling your home as well as it should. If the coils on the unit are dirty, it’s best to let a professional HVAC contractor clean them, since that’s a pretty delicate process.

4. Your AC has a Refrigerant Leak Your AC system uses refrigerant to produce cool air and get rid of the heat. If for some reason your system has lost some or all of its refrigerant, it’s going to have a harder time cooling your home. One common cause of refrigerant loss is a refrigerant leak somewhere in your system.

Some of the more common signs of a refrigerant leak include: Warm air coming out of the vents Your AC running almost constantly Ice forming around your indoor unit or AC lines Cooling cycles that are taking much longer than they should Your house not being as cool as it should Adding more refrigerant can help temporarily, but not much longer.

If your AC is low on refrigerant, you should have a professional HVAC contractor fix the refrigerant leak and add more refrigerant if needed.

 5. Your AC is Getting Old Even the best-maintained AC systems eventually start to wear down and need to be replaced. As your AC starts to get old, you may find it’s not cooling as quickly or as well as it used to. It may start to run more, have a tougher time cooling your home on the hottest days, or start to need more and more repairs. Your AC in Arizona has to work pretty hard during the summer, and that can put added stress on it. If you’re having to pay for a lot of repairs and start to be paying a lot more for your electricity bill because of your AC, you should start to consider the cost difference between one more repair bill and the cost of a new AC. That doesn’t mean you should always buy a new AC, but a professional contractor can let you know how long your old AC is likely to last based on its condition.

6. Your AC’s Evaporator Coil is Frozen It might seem unlikely, but an AC that isn’t cooling your home can actually be frozen. A frozen evaporator coil can cause all sorts of problems with your AC and reduce or stop the air coming out of the vents. Several things can cause the coil to freeze like a dirty air filter, restricted airflow, lack of refrigerant, or some other type of issue within your AC. If you see ice around your indoor AC unit or your AC lines, it’s best to turn off your AC and let it defrost. After it thaws, have your system professionally serviced to discover what caused the coil to freeze in the first place. Removing the ice merely treats the symptoms, not the cause.

 7. Your Ductwork has a Leak What if your AC is cooling your home but your house just isn’t cooling down? Your ductwork could be the cause of the problem. Your ductwork is responsible for distributing the cool air produced by your AC to the rest of your home. If it’s damaged, cracked, not sealed properly, or has some other sort of issue, the cool air can escape through the leak and keep your home from cooling down properly. You may notice that your home isn’t as cool as it should be, some rooms are warmer than others, the air coming out of the vents is weaker than normal, or that your electricity bill has gone up quite a bit. An HVAC contractor can help identify if there are issues with your ductwork and what should be done to fix it.

 8. There is Not Enough Airflow Sometimes the issue with your AC not cooling isn’t that the air isn’t cool enough, but that there isn’t enough of it coming out of the vents. Your AC may be running fine, but it simply isn’t able to push out enough air to cool your home. There are a number of potential causes of reduced or stopped airflow including: A clogged AC filter Closed or blocked vents Dirty AC coils Damaged ductwork A blower motor malfunction Various other AC issues Make sure your vents are open and not blocked by furniture, curtains, rugs, or anything else keeping the air from circulating freely. If you don’t see any obvious causes for the restricted airflow and it’s still happening throughout your home, it’s a good idea to have your AC professionally serviced. Continuing to use an AC that’s not pushing out enough air can cause further damage to the system.

 9. There is an Electrical Issue with Your AC Your AC has a number of electrical parts that make it run. A faulty capacitor, contactor, wiring, incorrect circuit breaker, or other electrical issue can cause your AC to stop cooling your home. Sometimes the AC will turn on and off, or the circuit breaker will trip when it shouldn’t. Electrical problems with your AC can be pretty dangerous, so it’s best to leave it to a professional HVAC technician to troubleshoot and repair. If at any point your AC is turning itself on and off, tripping the circuit breaker, or making strange noises, it’s best to have a professional HVAC contractor check into it and see what the issue is.

10. Your AC is just Having Trouble with the Arizona Summer Unfortunately, the summers in Arizona can be pretty brutal on air conditioners. Especially when the weather hits triple digits, your AC has to work really hard to try and reduce the heat in your home. A system that’s undersized, poorly maintained, old, or has some other issue going on could have trouble with that. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s broken, but if your house won’t cool down even after the AC has been running for hours, it’s a good idea to call a professional HVAC contractor. The contractor can check the airflow coming out of your vents, the systems electrical parts, the AC’s refrigerant, how well it’s cooling, and its overall condition to find out if there is anything that’s wrong with it.

 What should you do if your AC won’t cool?

Don’t panic and don’t jump to the conclusion that you need a new AC, but don’t put it off for too long either. The first thing you should do if your AC is not cooling is take a few simple steps to troubleshoot and fix the issue. Make sure your thermostat is set to cool and is set to a temperature lower than your room, check your air filter and make sure it’s not dirty or clogged, and make sure your vents are open and not blocked. If none of that fixes your AC, call a HVAC contractor. It’s always a good idea to call one if you notice ice forming around your AC, weak airflow coming out of your vents, strange noises coming from your AC, electrical problems, or if you suspect your AC is low on refrigerant. Putting off AC repairs can sometimes cause a small issue to turn into a much bigger one in the middle of the Arizona summer.

Don’t put off AC Repairs An AC problem that seems small now can become a much bigger problem when the summer heat kicks in. If your AC is having trouble cooling your home, running constantly, or making strange noises, don’t put it off. Getting it repaired as soon as possible could save you a lot of headaches later. AC Medics serves homeowners in the Phoenix, Arizona area by diagnosing and repairing AC issues.

Whether you’re dealing with low airflow, dirty AC systems, refrigerant issues, electrical problems, or an AC that simply needs to be replaced because of its age, finding the root cause is necessary in order to repair it.

If your AC is not cooling your Arizona home, don’t wait until it completely stops working. Have a professional HVAC contractor check it out.