Your home's air conditioning system is important to maintaining comfort in your home. When the summer heat kicks into high gear, your air conditioner helps to keep the interior temperatures cool and comfortable. If you're struggling with a lack of cold air from your air conditioner, though, it's important to address it right away. Here's what you need to know about a lack of cold air from your air conditioner.

Air Conditioner Freezing

There are a few reasons why your air conditioner may not be producing hot air, and the most common issue is a frozen air conditioning unit. Over time, condensate can build up on the evaporator coils, freezing on the surface of the coils and preventing those coils from cooling the air that passes through the system. When that happens, you end up with warm air coming from the system.

There are many reasons why your air conditioning system might freeze. Everything from dirty air filters to frozen drain lines or even low refrigerant levels can all cause problems that lead to air conditioner freezing.

If you shut the system down for several hours and then find that it produces cold air again, that's a key indication that the unit was frozen. You should reach out to an AC services technician right away to isolate the cause of the problem and fix it so that it doesn't recur.

Breaker Problems

If you notice that your air conditioner is not only producing warm air but also frequently tripping breakers, that's an indication that there's a problem with the power supply to the system. Whether it's the condenser motor working too hard or power surges causing the unit to trip a breaker, either one is a cause for concern.

If your air conditioner is repeatedly tripping breakers since you've discovered the warm air problem, it's important that you shut the system down until you can have it inspected and repaired by an AC services technician. He or she can test the electrical system and identify the source of the issue.

System Leaks

Air conditioning systems are closed systems that rely on refrigerant flowing through the system at precise pressure levels. If the unit has sprung a leak, the refrigerant levels may have dropped significantly, preventing your air conditioner from producing the cool air that you need to keep your home comfortable.

Not only does the refrigerant need to be recharged in a case like this, but the cause of the leak also needs to be identified. Sometimes it's due to a damaged valve, while other times it is the result of damage to the hoses or wires. You'll want to have the whole unit inspected to isolate and address the cause of the leak.