Why the air conditioner does not heat: causes and solutions

Air conditioning is purchased not only for cooling the air, in modern models there is another very useful function - work on heating. This is especially true in the months outside the heating season, when the temperature outside the window suddenly drops and you need to warm the room. Often, users are not preoccupied with this feature and resort to it when an urgent need arises, therefore, the risk of improper use of the air conditioner for heating is high. It often happens that the device, with all the signs of operability, does not produce warm air at all.

Why does not the air conditioner heat

If the owners of air conditioners rarely experience difficulties with cooling rooms, then problems with heating are much more common. The situation when the equipment is in good condition, but the air refuses to warm, is very common and may be the result of a number of reasons, both serious and related to insufficient user awareness of the features of the mode.

Not enough time

If the air conditioner is turned on for cooling, then cold air leaves it immediately, and the equipment owners expect the same from the heating function. And when the device starts to produce air at room temperature, there is a panic - switching modes on the remote control, pulling it out of the socket, restarting and other actions. Solving this problem is very simple - you need to set the desired temperature and just wait, let the air conditioner time to redirect the air flow and start heating it. Depending on the model, waiting for the first warm air currents takes from 60 to 120 seconds, and reaching the set temperature on the console will take 10-15 minutes.

After turning on the heating mode, you have to wait until warm air appears

Freon leak

During operation, the amount of refrigerant in the air conditioner system is lost (the norm is 6–8% per year), moreover, cracks form in the air conditioner freon circuit and additional leaks appear. It is important to understand that freon is used for both heating and cooling, therefore, the air conditioner will work when the substance pressure drops in the system, but only as a fan.

In the circuit along which freon passes, cracks may appear

You cannot fix the problem yourself, this requires a wizard call. He will refuel to restore pressure, and if necessary, carry out a nitriding procedure to detect and eliminate the leak.

Clogged heat exchanger

A lot of dirt accumulates in the outdoor unit of the air conditioner - dust, poplar fluff, remains of leaves and insects, etc. If the outdoor heat exchanger is clogged, the efficiency of the device will significantly decrease. This will be especially noticeable on heating - the air temperature will not change much. You can fix the problem by cleaning.Theoretically, it is possible to conduct events independently, but there is a high risk of damaging the details due to ignorance, therefore it is easier to invite a specialist to provide such a service.

Periodically, you need to call the wizard to clean the external unit

Four-way valve failure

In order for the air conditioner to correctly switch from the cooling mode to the heating mode, a four-way valve is installed in it, which provides a change in the direction of movement of the refrigerant. If this element fails, the device remains in the mode in which it was previously, and does not switch to heat. You can’t do without a specialist here - he will simply replace the damaged part.

Low temperature use

An air conditioner is not a full-fledged heating device, it is able to heat a room if the temperature outside the window is not lower than 5 degrees. At low temperatures, condensate freezes in the outdoor unit, the oil in the system loses its properties, ice forms in the freon circuit. As a result, after successful heating of the room in too cold weather, the intensity of heat production decreases, and after that the function stops working.

It is worth noting that the minimum temperature threshold for some models can be specified 0 or up to -5 degrees, but you should not turn on the device at such low temperatures. In frost, this will definitely lead to the formation of frost inside the split system and icing of the outdoor unit. Turning on the thermometer from 5 to 0, anyway, forces the capacitor to work already in negative values, which still leads to the formation of frost, and the efficiency of such work is significantly reduced.

Do not use the air conditioner in cold weather, especially for heating

There are winter sets for air conditioners that allow you to turn on the equipment in cold weather without harming the system, but this applies exclusively to work on cooling. This is necessary for rooms where year-round air cooling is required, for example, in bakeries.

It is important for the user to follow the recommendations of the instructions, since failure of the equipment in case of non-compliance with the operating conditions is not a guarantee case. If it so happens that the air conditioner is already frozen, you need to stop using it and call the wizard. Depending on the extent of the problem, they will either be able to immediately warm up the system, or they will have to wait for spring and only then do the repair.

Air conditioning, like any other equipment, requires regular care and maintenance. If you clean the device in a timely manner and follow all the manufacturer's recommendations, you can minimize the risk of problems with heating the room. Failure of the function can also be a consequence of a freon leak or a valve breakdown - here you can not do without a specialist.