Which way is the air supposed to flow from the external unit of central ac?

Question

the hot air from my external ac unit flows out from the sides. on my neighbor's unit it flows out from the top. is something wrong with my unit?

Answer 1

Well.. if they are the same name brand and model then one of them is wrong.

But usually if it is a wrap around coil with a fan in the center top it blows out the top. Although some brands have had side out  blowers. If your fan on the outside unit is mounted  with the shaft vertical then you can look at the blades and check the rotation. A clue is that the blades slice into the air and discharge is correct if the air is leaving the side of the blade  that has the smooth heads of the brads on that leaving side. if it is not that way.. then you have the wrong blade or... your motor is turning backwards. Blades are either CCW or CW   Counter clockwise or clockwise.

Answer 2

On almost all units,the air discharges from the top.There are exceptions though.Look at the blade in your neighbors unit and compare it to yours.

Answer 3

The airflow is supposed to be pulled through the coils, not forced through the coils... So when your unit runs is the fan forcing air through the coils? If so then your fan is running backwards... Certain motors are made to be directional... By switching 2 wires around you can reverse the direction of the motor...