When it’s scorching outside, you rely on your cooling to keep things cool inside. But is your air conditioning taking too long to cool down the house? This is familiar on sweltering days, which push your air conditioner harder than usual. However, if it’s not especially hot outside and your air conditioner is still struggling, your air conditioner could have a problem. Use these tips to help you diagnose the issue.
Dirty Air Filter
A clogged filter is the most common reason an AC system takes too long to lower the temperature of the house. The job of a filter is to catch airborne debris that may harm your HVAC equipment. More advanced filters even catch microscopic airborne allergens to increase indoor air quality.
Eventually, the filter becomes clogged with dust, pet hair, and textile fibers, limiting the flow of air. Besides making your air conditioner take a long time to cool down the house, this issue can also produce higher energy bills, increased wear and tear, and overheating.
Solution: Check your air filter each month and replace it if it appears dirty. Don't wait past three months to exchange the filter or follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you’re uncertain where the air filter is, talk to your HVAC technician at your next service visit.
Improper Thermostat Settings
Your thermostat has to be compatible with your cooling to work effectively. Then, you must set it correctly to sustain a cozy temperature. Installing a programmable or Wi-Fi thermostat produces the best results.
Solution: If you want to update your thermostat, require help learning about programmable settings, or may not feel comfortable programming a thermostat yourself, contact an HVAC technician at Strogen's Service Experts for support.
Dirty Evaporator Coil
Split-system air conditioners come with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit features the evaporator coil, which absorbs heat from the air using refrigerant. It’s hard for the refrigerant to soak up heat properly if the evaporator coil is dirty, making it take more time to cool down the house.
Solution: Get in touch with our HVAC professionals to clean and tune up your air conditioner. Part of this call involves clearing away dust and grime from the evaporator coil to boost cooling performance.
Dirty or Obstructed Outdoor Unit
Your AC system's cooling cycle requires moving hot refrigerant to the outdoor unit, where it expels heat away from your home. Unfortunately, if the outdoor unit is dirty or surrounded by encroaching vegetation, the cooling cycle can be less effective.
Solution: Gently clean the outdoor unit to eliminate dust, cobwebs, pine needles and grass clippings. Then, cut back bushes to around 12 inches from the unit to increase ventilation.
Refrigerant Leak
Refrigerant is an essential tool to a cool home. Typically, this substance travels in a closed loop back and forth between the indoor and outdoor units. If a leak develops and your AC loses refrigerant, it becomes more difficult to handle the cycle of absorbing and expelling heat from your home.
Solution: Only a qualified technician can correct refrigerant leaks and recharge the system. If you suspect this problem, call up our HVAC pros for help in no time.
Leaky Ductwork
Air ducts are the arteries and veins of your HVAC system. A leak from either the return or supply side can make your air conditioner work harder and longer to keep your home cool.
Solution: If you notice uneven temperatures and an excessive amount of dust in the house, contact Strogen's Service Experts to take a look at your air ducts. Duct sealing or replacement can resolve the problem.
Dirty or Blocked Air Vents
Cool air can only flow around your home as long as the vents are open and unobstructed. Shutting too many vents can even disrupt the system’s balance, leading to additional breakdowns and repair costs.
Solution: Inspect the vents in each room, seeing to it that they’re open and unobstructed by furniture, carpeting or curtains.
Outdated or Inadequately Sized AC System
Did you install your air conditioning more than 10 to 15 years ago? As it gets older, the system becomes less effective and might fail to maintain a comfortable home. Likewise, have you recently completed a home addition or made other alterations? This may result in an undersized air conditioner that will struggle to keep up with demand.
Solution: The only solution for an aging or undersized air conditioner is to replace it. Trust our trained HVAC technicians to size and install your new unit for comfort and efficiency.
Schedule AC Repair with Strogen's Service Experts
If your troubleshooting still proves ineffective, feel free to call in the HVAC experts at Strogen's Service Experts. We supply fast, reliable service to get your cooling back up and running as quickly as possible. You can rest easy knowing our technicians practice the highest standards of customer service to ensure your long-term comfort. Contact us to arrange air conditioning repair or other HVAC services today.