Sioux City and Siouxland · IA · NE · SD
AC runs but does not cool: Sioux City area homes
If air is moving but it is not cold, either the outdoor unit is not doing its part — the compressor or the fan has stopped — or the refrigerant side is short, often from a leak, and the coil has frozen. Each has its own signs, and a quick look outside tells you which.
Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Look at the outdoor unit
Fan spinning, unit warm, air not cold. The compressor may not be running. A failed capacitor is a common cause.
Unit humming, fan not turning. Often a capacitor or the fan motor. Turn the system off at the thermostat — a compressor that keeps trying to start can overheat.
Silent. Check the breaker and the disconnect box next to the unit. A tripped breaker that trips again is a call, not a reset.
Look at the indoor side
Ice on the copper line at the outdoor unit or on the coil above the furnace points to low airflow or low refrigerant. Turn the cooling off and run the fan only to thaw it, then call. Running a frozen coil can damage the compressor.
Timing in this climate
Sioux City has about 25 days a year at 90°F or above (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). They tend to come in runs, and contractors fill up fast once the first one hits. A system that cooled poorly on a warm day in May is worth a call before the first heat wave, not during it.
What to say when you call
- What the outdoor unit is doing: running, humming or silent
- Whether there is ice on the lines or the coil
- The refrigerant on the outdoor label, R-22 or R-410A, and the year of the system
- Your town and ZIP code
Describe the problem and the age of the system. The operator checks who is taking calls near you.
(888) 217-3739