Carrier Window Air Conditioner Does Not Get Cold

Dirty Air Filter

• A dirty or blocked air filter is the number one culprit of poor air circulation within an AC unit and, luckily, is the easiest to remedy. If an air filter is extremely dirty, air struggles to enter through the Carrier intake grille. The front grille of the unit pulls open to reveal the air filter. You can remove the filter with your hand and run water on both sides of it to clean it. Lay the filter out to dry before reinsertion, and clean it approximately once every two weeks.

Blockage

• Something as simple as a curtain hanging in front of the intake or outlet vents can affect the cooling efficiency of the Carrier unit tremendously. If air can't get sucked through the intake grille, it can't blow out of the outlet vents. All possible barriers between the vents and the room, such as chairs or sofas, should be removed. If these items aren’t removed, the room might not cool effectively and the unit might suffer damage as a result.

Ice

• Ice buildup within the unit can happen for a number of reasons. The main cause could be condenser fan malfunction. If the condenser fan experiences any problems blowing, the cooling element produces cold air that can't escape the unit, thus producing ice buildup within the machine. When ice builds up, the unit fails to blow cold air into the room even though the internal compressor functions. You can remove the front panels of the unit to get to the fan component. If debris is trapped in the fan components, it should be removed or the fan cleaned. If the fan fails to spin freely, you might contact a technician to fix the unit.

Compressor Overload

• If the compressor experiences an overload from a power surge, its internal device trips and prevents the compressor from functioning for a small amount of time. The fan runs without the compressor while the unit operates on cool mode, which might make the unit appear as though it isn’t functioning properly. Allow 10 minutes to pass for the internal compressor to reset its overload protection device, and then you should hear the compressor kick in and feel cold air blow from the vents.