AC Running But Not Cooling? Check These 6 Things Before You Call

It's 94° out, the thermostat says 78, and the vents are blowing air that isn't cold. Before you book a service call, run this 10-minute checklist — a surprising number of 'broken' ACs are one of the first three items.

Safe to check yourself

1. Thermostat settings: confirm it's on COOL and the fan is on AUTO, not ON. Fan-ON blows unconditioned air between cycles and feels exactly like broken cooling.
2. Air filter: a clogged filter chokes airflow until the coil can't do its job — and can even freeze it solid. If you can't see light through the filter, that may be your whole problem.
3. Breakers: check both the indoor unit's breaker and the outdoor condenser's. If one is tripped, reset it ONCE. If it trips again, stop — repeated resets can turn a small fault into a dead compressor.
4. The outdoor unit: is the big fan on top spinning? Is the unit choked with leaves, grass clippings, or shrubs? Gently rinse the coil fins with a garden hose (power off first).
5. The drain line: Florida's #1 nuisance call. A clogged condensate line trips the float switch and shuts the system down to protect your ceiling. Look for a full drain pan under the air handler.
6. Vents and returns: closed supply vents and blocked return grilles starve the system of airflow.

Symptoms that mean turn it OFF and call

• ▸Ice anywhere — on the copper lines or the outdoor unit. Running an iced system can destroy the compressor. Shut it off and let it thaw.
• ▸Grinding, squealing, or metal-on-metal sounds: a motor is dying, and running it takes other parts with it.
• ▸Breaker trips repeatedly: electrical faults don't fix themselves.
• ▸The outdoor unit hums but the fan doesn't spin — usually a failed capacitor, an inexpensive fix if you stop before the motor cooks.

What a repair typically costs

Most single-issue AC repairs in Tampa Bay land between about $250 and $2,500 depending on the part — capacitors and drain clogs at the low end, refrigerant leaks and board replacements at the high end. We diagnose first and give you the exact number before any work starts. And if the system is 10+ years old with a big repair on the table, we'll show you the honest repair-versus-replace math too.