AC Repair

Warm air in cool mode usually means one of four things: the remote is on heat or fan mode, the outdoor unit lost power, the outdoor coil is choked with pollen and debris, or the refrigerant charge is low.

Check the mode and the breaker first — they solve a surprising share of calls. Anything beyond that needs gauges and a trained technician; adding refrigerant without finding the leak buys a few weeks and costs you the same repair twice.

Every cooling system pulls moisture out of humid air, and it has to drain somewhere. A condensate line clogged with algae, a failed condensate pump, or an indoor head knocked off level sends that water down your wall.

Shut the unit off to stop the dripping, then call. Clearing the line and flushing the drain pan is a quick repair; leaving it running risks stained drywall and a mold problem behind the head.

Age, refrigerant type, and repair history decide it. An old unit on phased-out refrigerant, a system that has needed refrigerant two summers running, or a compressor failure on an out-of-warranty unit all point toward replacement.

A newer system with one failed part is almost always worth fixing. We give you both numbers — repair and replacement — and explain what each means for your energy bill and winter heating, since most of these systems heat too.

Confirm the breaker is on, set the remote to cool with the fan on auto, and clear anything stacked around the outdoor unit. Rinse visible debris off the outdoor coil with a garden hose — never a pressure washer.

Note when the problem started, whether it happens all day or only in afternoon heat, and any error code on the indoor head. Those three details often cut the diagnosis time in half.