My A/C isn't coming out through the vents...?

Question

It has taken many hours to even get my apartment to cool off a little bit. Yet, it never gets to the desired temperature. Too see if there was any cool air even blowing I checked the huge vent with filter and there is air...but there is no air coming from any of the other vents (in the cieling). I was wondering if anyone could help tell me what to check or do...my maintenence guys for this apartment are gone for the weekend and we are dripping with sweat right now!

Thank you :)

Answer 1

As the other poster suggested, check the filters, and then check the registers to see if they are open. In rare instances, dampers are installed in ductwork to close them off. These would be in the attic or crawl space. If the A/C was working before, I can't imagine how the dampers would have been moved, but it might be worth checking. I have heard of a problem where a balloon was sucked into the furnace and covered the ducting. You may have something blocking the ductwork. As an experiment, open the furnace door and see if air movement improves to your supply (outbound) registers. You will be bypassing the filter and possibly the evaporator coil. If air flow improves, you may have a blocked evaporator coil. This can be cleaned with a solution found at your hardware store. You will need to turn off the furnace, open the evaporator coil compartment, and clean it off.

Answer 2

Check and maybe clean the filter(s). If your A/C is running and not putting out cold air, the filter(s) could be blocked. If it continues to run without being able to distribute the cold air, your A/C unit could overheat and shut down completely or burn the place down.