AC Not Cooling

Cooling complaints break down by what the air is actually doing. Pick the phrase that matches your system and work through that specific diagnosis.

YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Not Blowing Cold Air?
If your vents are moving air but the air is not cold, the cooling side of the system is either not running or not able to absorb heat.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Blowing Hot Air?
Air that is actually hot — not just uncooled — is different from weak cooling.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Not Cooling?
"Not cooling" is a broad symptom, so the fastest path is to sort it into one of three buckets: no air movement at all, air moving but not cold, or cold air that never brings the house down to setpoint.
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GREEN — Usually Manageable
Why Is My AC Not Cooling Well? Common Causes
Partial cooling — the system works but the house feels warm and humid — almost always comes down to reduced capacity rather than a hard failure.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Not Blowing Cold?
Run the fast checks in order.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Unit Not Blowing Cold Air?
When you are looking at the equipment rather than the vents, the diagnosis gets faster.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Not Cold?
The short version: your AC is not cold because either it is not actually running the cooling cycle, or it is running but cannot move heat.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Blowing Warm Air?
Warm air sits between working and failed, and that middle ground is informative.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Only Blowing Hot Air?
"Only" hot air — never any cold, every cycle — points to a complete failure rather than a capacity problem.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Hot?
This question has two different answers depending on what is hot.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Not Cooling But Fan Is Running?
You have already done the most useful half of the diagnosis: the blower works, so the problem lives in the refrigeration circuit or its power supply.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Not Blowing Air?
No air at all is a different problem from no cold air.
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YELLOW — Inspection Recommended
Why Is My AC Running But Not Cooling?
When the system runs continuously but the house does not cool, the work being done is not reaching your rooms.
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GREEN — Usually Manageable
Why Is My AC Not Keeping Up?
The signature of "not keeping up" is a house that stays comfortable in the morning and drifts two to five degrees above setpoint during the hottest part of the afternoon, then recovers overnight.
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14 of 50 diagnostic guides in this category.