AC blows sporadically

Fran Dozier
by Fran Dozier

My AC unit runs outside, but at times it will not blow in certian parts of the house. We already had the board replaced for the air handler. Sometimes sounds like a hurricane blowing out the vent upstairs in one area, sometimes nothing blows at all and the AC is running. We have 3 zones (2 upstairs, 1 downstairs). I am at a loss of what to do next. One company came and disconnected one of the zones and nearly froze up the air handler. We have a home warranty, but not sure how to get this fixed - pick wrong thing and they send the wrong people. HELP!


  13 answers
  • Nan W. Nan W. on May 24, 2020

    Fran: with a home warranty, you should not have to suffer with poor service. Call them back and get another contractor to check it!

  • Fran Dozier Fran Dozier on May 24, 2020

    If I put in another request, have to pay another deductible. I will call the company who replaced the board in Tuesday, not sure what they will do

  • Dee Dee on May 24, 2020

    If they did not fix it correctly the first time, you should NOT have to pay another deductible. Definitely call the company that tried to fix it, if you get no satisfaction call your home warranty company back and complain.

  • Mogie Mogie on May 24, 2020

    The company that came out should fix the problem. I would call them and explain this and ask them what they can do to fix this.

    Home warranty companies are not on the consumers side (nor the contractors side). They are NOT in business to spend money. They are simply an insurance company looking to protect their interests and reduce claims.

    On the home warranty contract, there is some very fine print. Most of it states obvious reasons that a claim would not be approved. But a lot of people don’t see the deeper motives and issues surrounding their business model. Here are some helpful points you should consider before moving forward with signing a home warranty contract.

    • You are most likely going to pay a lot more than just your deductible. If you read the fine print on your home warranty contract, you will find out that it states you will sometimes have to pay for miscellaneous parts and labor that is not covered on some claims. They do not cover code upgrades, rust, equipment not properly maintained (cleaning & etc).
    • Be prepared to spend long amounts of time on the phone. Many home buyers have to call in the same repair claim multiple times. This is typical with most home warranty companies. Remember, the home warranty company is a for profit company that will try and do the “least expensive” repair. Example, your 18 year old air conditioning unit stops working. The warranty company repairs the unit and everything seems to be working OK. Even though the system probably just needs to be replaced with a newer more efficient unit. Your A/C unit stops working again a week later. The warranty company authorizes another repair. A/C unit is working fine but then again a week later the unit fails. The other bad part is the warranty companies are overwhelmed with calls daily and you will have to talk with rude customer service reps who just want to get you off the phone.
    • Lower level of skill & quality from service companies. There are very few contractors who will work with warranty companies. The ones who do work for them are not paid even close to a fair amount for the repairs and either have to cut corners on repairs or find other “non-covered items” to repair/replace just to make any money on the trip out there. The lower than normal pay from the warranty companies also creates a spiral effect forcing the contractor to hire less qualified technicians, do shoddy work, fail to do background checks on employees or more drastic, have to shut the business down. It is very common for contractors who do work for warranty companies to pay their technicians a percentage of invoice sales. This can create a very bad environment for unnecessary repairs and dishonesty. 95% of the time, you have to wait days to receive service to address your claim and it is likely you will have to deal with rude and unprofessional companies just out there turning em and burning em.
    • Agent Bonuses/kickbacks. Most home buyers are not aware that some real estate brokers receive a small bonus for every sold home warranty policy. The question needs to be asked: who is really the main customer for the home warranty companies.
    • Inspections & Pre-Existing Conditions. You need to make sure all of your mechanical equipment (furnace, A/C, electrical, etc) and appliances have been inspected. If any service professional or home inspector finds even a minor problem it should be addressed in a repair request to the Seller. If an item is not working satisfactorily prior to closing then it will not be covered under most home warranty plans. Lack of routine maintenance can also create another avenue for warrant denials. This is a understandable part as the warranty company should not have to pay money on equipment that is not properly maintained.


  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on May 24, 2020

    I think issue is with its wiring .. I would look into that

  • if it’s still under warranty then hound the manufacturer until they fix it right

  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on May 24, 2020

    Sounds like something is broken that splits the air between the 3 zones. ThAt divides it I thing you would need someone with a HVac business ask them first before they come to your house.

  • William William on May 25, 2020

    If you had the board replaced it more likely is not the problem. it could be the thermostats in the zones are not sensing temp changes and not opening the dampers for the zones at the air handler board. The zone dampers could be dirty or sticking and not opening when they should be. Who ever services the system should check everything. The thermostats, zone dampers, wiring, etc., to isolate the cause. It's basically a step by step process of elimination.

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on May 25, 2020

    Hi! I agree with William that you need the system checked completely. Some coverage doesn't have additional charges if the corrections didn't solve the problem. We experienced that with our sewer line coverage. They wanted to consider it fixed with the line flushed and scoped. No one seemed to realize (or deal with) that a sharp angle in the line caused the flow problem until we persisted and a supervisor had them dig up that section and make corrections. Have the contact on speed dial until they correct the issue. A supervisor is sometimes your best bet. Good luck and stay safe!

  • Ohiorn Ohiorn on May 25, 2020

    I just sold my property and my agent said that the warranties aren't worth the paper they're printed on. There was one on our home when we bought, it was worthless when our washer (came with the house) overflowed. Did the company that came out do a proper assessment? Good idea to contact the manufacturers, there could be some sort of recall. Ask your friends-they will quick to tell you the companies that stink and the best companies. Could be many different things. Good luck!

  • Maura White Maura White on May 30, 2020

    If you have a home warranty, then I think you will just have to be persistent on getting the company to fix it.


  • Fran Dozier Fran Dozier on May 30, 2020

    Thanks. They reopened the claim and sending someone out. Fingers crossed last time!

  • Home warranties are so useless unfortunately, such a waste. Hopefully you can work it out with them to have someone better come out and check the entire system properly.