Why doesn't the air conditioner cool?

What determines the cooling capacity of an air conditioner?

Cooling capacity is the main characteristic of an air conditioner, which determines the efficiency of the climate control equipment. The cooling power parameter is selected taking into account the area of the room where the device will be installed. For the calculation, the following formula is taken: per 10 sq. m of room with ceilings no more than 3 meters - 1 kW of cooling power.

Now let's look at how to determine whether the cooling of the air conditioner has really deteriorated and whether there is a need for repair work, or whether such an assessment of the performance of the device turned out to be biased.

The cooling capacity of climate control systems largely depends on the outside air temperature. An efficient air conditioner will provide the optimal air temperature indoors, the difference of which can be 8-12 or more. If the difference in temperature outside and in the room where the air conditioner is operating is less than this parameter, then we can conclude that the split equipment is faulty.

The air conditioner does not cool due to external factors

If the air conditioner operates almost continuously, but the temperature does not drop to the set point, first check whether external factors are hindering the operation of the unit:

the room is poorly insulated - warm air constantly comes from the street, and cooled air goes outside,
furniture or curtains (blinds) prevent normal air circulation,
The power of the device does not meet the needs (not enough to effectively cool a large area).

If the reason is poor insulation, ensure that air is taken exclusively from the room, prevent its leakage to the outside (as far as possible in principle): close windows and doors more tightly. In rooms with repair defects, there may be large gaps that need to be repaired. Remove obstructions to air flow.

If the reason is insufficient power, replace the air conditioner and use this one in a smaller room.

Preliminary diagnosis of why the air conditioner does not cool

Before looking for problems with air conditioning units, it is worth understanding the possible external causes of the appearance of warm air and conducting preliminary diagnostics.

Duration of work. Cooling the air in the room after turning on the air conditioner takes a certain time. This does not happen at lightning speed - for a noticeable effect it should take from 10 to 20 minutes. The time interval is determined by the initial air temperature, the temperature at the external unit, the volume of the room and the power of the air conditioner.
Correct selection of power and operating conditions. A low-power air conditioner cannot cope with cooling a spacious room that is well heated on a hot day. When choosing, you should look beyond the peak load and choose equipment with a small power reserve.
Not an isolated room. Cooling efficiency is reduced if there is an influx of warm air from the outside through doors and windows that are not closed, or a forced outflow of cold air, for example, through a ventilation system.
Obstacles to air circulation. Curtains, decorative elements, furniture or blinds placed in the path of air movement disrupt its circulation and interfere with cooling.

Lack or excess of refrigerant

Freon
Most air conditioner users sooner or later encounter an insufficient amount of freon in the system. Leakage occurs for various reasons. If you purchased an inexpensive air conditioner, leaks may occur from the first day of operation due to poor quality assembly of the system. Also, a freon deficiency occurs due to improper installation or infrequent maintenance.

In short, there can be many reasons. But, unfortunately, you will not be able to determine on your own whether there is enough freon in the route or not. This can only be done by a specialist with experience. Use the services of a service center, they will carry out diagnostics and find out whether your air conditioner needs to be recharged.

There is also an excess of freon. This is the fault of the technicians who filled the air conditioner “by eye”. An experienced technician must correctly determine how much refrigerant is in the line and add exactly as much as needed.

If a specialist fills in freon based only on his own feelings, he most likely filled in too much. In this situation, the technician must return and correct his mistake by pumping out the unnecessary amount of refrigerant. But such situations occur infrequently; mainly there is a shortage of freon.

Reasons why the air conditioner does not cool

Before troubleshooting your air conditioner, check for external causes not related to the equipment. In addition to the cooling capacity of the air conditioner itself, room cooling is affected by:

Operating time of climate control equipment. Customers often forget that when the air conditioner turns on, it does not instantly cool the air in the room. It takes 10, 15, 20 minutes to noticeably lower the temperature. Depending on the size of the room, the temperature outside and inside and the power of the split system.
Correspondence of the power of the split system to external parameters. Naturally, a low-power air conditioner will not be able to significantly cool a spacious room when it is hot outside and the room is very warm. When choosing equipment, it is often overlooked that the load can be peak, and the air conditioner must be taken with a reserve of “strength”.
Isolation of the room. The air conditioner in the apartment will not cool well if there are “holes in the airtightness” of the room: open windows, doors, a working ventilation system. Additional heat inflow from outside or forced outflow of cold air from the room are the reasons that lead to poor cooling.
“Blocked” air inlet or outlet is another reason. Obstacles in the form of curtains, blinds, and furniture interfere with normal air circulation and, as a result, cooling.

If there is enough power, the entrance and exit are free, the windows and doors are closed and enough time has passed, but it has not become cooler, then it is necessary to diagnose the equipment. Simply put, measure the air temperature at the air conditioner inlet and outlet.

And the casket just opened

Each air conditioner has a minimum temperature at which it can operate for heat. For inverter models it is -25...-15 degrees, for conventional models -5...+5 °C. You can find it in the instructions.

The documents for the air conditioner also indicate the maximum temperature to which it can heat the air. Manufacturers indicate this figure, dishonestly. The greater the temperature difference, the less efficient the air conditioner.

For example, it is indicated that the air conditioner can operate for heat when the outside temperature is down to -25. And warm up the air to +28. It means that:

At a frost of -25, it will be able to heat the room to +16;
When it's -20 outside, the air conditioner will give +18;
If it is -15 outside, it will heat the air to +20;
When “overboard” is +15, the air conditioner will be able to heat the room to the specified +28.

The numbers are given as an example, they are different for each model. Manufacturers do not specifically indicate them in order to mislead the buyer. Before sounding the alarm, look at the instructions or specifications for the air conditioner.

Operating temperatures of the air conditioner for heating specified in the specification.

What problems with air conditioner cooling can you solve yourself?

Some air conditioner malfunctions that cause poor air cooling can be eliminated yourself.
What problems can be solved without the help of a specialist:

Dirty filters can be cleaned. To remove them, you need to open the lid of the indoor unit, remove the filters and rinse them under cold running water. After a little drying, the filters are installed in place. Now you can start the air conditioner and check its performance.
A dirty heat exchanger can be cleaned in different ways: with a steam cleaner, a high-pressure washer or special chemicals. If difficulties arise, call service.
The owner can also clean the dirty indoor unit fan himself using a brush or high-pressure washer.
If the cause of the malfunction is a clogged capillary tube, it must be cleaned by blowing or pressing. If the tube is clogged with moisture, cleaning is carried out using a vacuum method.

What problems with air conditioner cooling cannot be solved without professional help?

In all other cases, problems with air conditioner cooling cannot be avoided without the help of professional technicians. Specialists will conduct diagnostics and determine the exact cause of the breakdown. If necessary, they will refuel with freon. If a refrigerant leak is detected, it is sealed.

A broken compressor, condenser, fan, as well as pressure and temperature sensors must be repaired or completely replaced with new parts. It all depends on the malfunction and the price of the issue.

Don't ignore the problem of poor air conditioning. Minor faults can be easily fixed without requiring large expenditures. But if you ignore the fact of ineffective operation of the device, you can expect serious breakdowns, the repair of which will have to cost a lot of money.

Follow the operating rules and timely perform technical inspections of climate control devices. Experienced specialists from the service center will always help you solve this problem.

Sources:

https://rembitteh.ru/hozyayke-na-zametku/kondicioner-ne-holodit-duet-teplym-vozduhom/
https://vsekondicioneri.ru/blog/konditsioner-perestal-okhlazhdat-prichiny-kak-ispravit/
https://gk-promholod.ru/stati/kondiczioner-ne-xolodit/
https://intelclimate.ru/services/konditsionirovanie/remont-condicionerov/articles/tepliy-vozduh-iz-condicionera

Electronics problems

This is the most difficult situation. The electronic control board influences every element of the system. If it malfunctions, there may be many symptoms. Only a specialist can determine what happened to her.

If none of the solutions described above helped, look for an air conditioner. The best way to do this is on the specialist search portal. Trust only proven professionals with good reviews.

In this publication, we looked at all the reasons why the air conditioner does not heat or does it poorly. We hope you found it useful. Don't forget to save it to your wall and share with your friends!

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Why does the air conditioner blow warm air - common malfunctions

Sometimes it happens that the air conditioner blows warm air, but some defects can be eliminated yourself. The table below shows common defects and methods for eliminating them.

Symptom	Possible malfunction	Remedies
The air conditioner blows heat (in devices with heating parameters)	Wrong mode set	Install the desired function
No coolness, cooling is weak	The filters of the internal module are clogged with debris	Clean or replace filter elements Important! Do not use hot water when cleaning, as it can deform the filters.
The split system does not create coolness well	Temperature set to high during settings	Turn on minimum and then switch to comfortable temperature
The air conditioner works, but does not create coolness	Fan mode enabled	Adjust the correct mode
The air conditioner blows weakly, and the compressor turns off	The external radiator is clogged with dirt. A layer of dirt has formed on the heat exchanger, which reduces the cooling capacity of the air conditioner.	Clean the radiator from debris
The air conditioner blows hot air. The compressor turns on briefly	Low voltage in the network. Insufficient voltage often causes the rotor to overheat and the motor to shut down due to protection.	It is recommended to turn on the device only through a voltage stabilizer

If troubleshooting the listed problems did not help and the cooling situation did not improve, then most likely the problem is in the equipment design. And here a complete diagnosis is required, which can only be carried out by specialists at the service center.