Having to turn on heater for aircon to work?

To get my aircon to work in the summer I first have to run the heater mode first and then after it warms up switch it to aircon. Otherwise it will just run the aircon for 5 minutes then shut off. Is this normal and has anyone else have this happen to their aircon?

6 comments
  1. same, but today my AC is working fine. But yesterday I needed to turn heater first to switch it on but it works fine today without needing to do that.

  2. I doubt it’s normal. Get someone to do some maintenance, assuming you have done the basics like clean the filter.

  3. Is it draining aka dehumidifying properly. You having to turn on heating mode sounds like it freezes or has frost in the indoor unit for a time. You defensively need to have this checked out.

    Open up the unit if it’s one where you can open it up while it’s running and check for leaks or frost in the indoor side.

    But I doubt it’s that, sometimes some small sensor simply burns out or reports false data.

  4. When the air con runs for 5 minutes before shutting off, does the air feel cold or is it just blowing room temperature air?

    If it is just blowing room temperature air or the air doesn’t feel cold at all, I suspect a contamination or some sort of residue buildup in your cold refrigerant line.

    An air conditioner has a compressed refrigerant line (for heating) and a low pressure line (for cooling). When heating, the heated refrigerant flows into your room, and when cooling the flow is reversed, the cooled refrigerant flows into your room.

    It seems maybe the refrigerant regulator valve in the indoor unit has a clog and the refrigerant cant flow correctly during cooling operation, but running the heating will reverse the flow and temporarily unclog it.

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