Why Your AC Is Blowing Warm Air: 6 Common Causes

It’s 95° outside in Fort Smith. You walk in expecting cold air—and instead, your AC is blowing warm. No airflow, no cooling, just hot frustration.

Don’t panic yet. There are a few common reasons this happens, and most of them are fixable fast. At Clark HVAC, we deal with this constantly across Spiro, Poteau, Pocola, and Fort Smith—here’s what we see most.

1. Low Refrigerant (Usually Due to a Leak)

Your AC needs refrigerant to remove heat from your home. If it’s low, it’ll run but won’t cool.
Big red flag: ice forming on the lines or coil.

🛠 What we do: Pressure test, locate the leak, fix it, then recharge your system with R-410A.

2. Dirty or Clogged Condenser Coil

Your outdoor unit needs to dump heat to the outside air. If the coil is clogged with dirt, grass, or cottonwood (especially common in Oklahoma), heat gets trapped and your system just pushes warm air.

🛠 We’ll clean the coil and restore heat transfer, so the system can actually cool again.

3. Thermostat Is Set Incorrectly (or Failing)

Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how often a thermostat is:

• Set to “Heat” instead of “Cool”

• Set to “Fan Only”

• Faulty or uncalibrated

🛠 We verify all settings and test the thermostat signal, including R-Y voltage, mode, and staging if applicable.

4. Blower or Air Handler Issues

If the blower isn’t pushing air through the evaporator coil, you’ll feel warm or barely any airflow. Could be a:

• Dead motor

• Failed capacitor

• Bad board

• Clogged filter choking airflow

🛠 We check amp draw, capacitors, and airflow, then get it moving again.

5. Electrical or Disconnect Problems

Sometimes your system runs inside, but the outdoor unit isn’t. If your condenser isn’t turning on:

• Breaker may be tripped

• Disconnect could be pulled

• Contactor or capacitor may be shot

🛠 We check every electrical point, from breaker to board, and replace bad components on the spot.

6. Ductwork Leaks or Blockages

If you’ve got hot air coming out of some vents and not others, your ductwork might be:

• Disconnected

• Leaking into the attic

• Clogged with insulation or debris

🛠 We inspect airflow at each register and check for temp splits, then locate the blockage or leak.

Don’t Sweat It — We Fix This Every Day

Warm air from your AC isn’t always a disaster. But the longer you let it run like that, the more damage you risk—especially to your compressor.

Clark HVAC offers 24/7 emergency AC service across Fort Smith, Spiro, Poteau, and Pocola. We’ll get you cold air, fast—and we don’t upsell. Just honest work.

📞 Call Now: 918-839-3734

Flat-rate diagnostics. Fast repairs. Local and reliable.