Sometimes your air conditioner can appear to be running just fine, but still isn’t doing its job to cool your home. When this happens, there can be several possible causes that prevent your air conditioner from keeping you cool. We’ve listed a few below.
Ductwork – Ductwork is one of the most important components of your overall HVAC system. It is responsible for delivering the cooled or heated air, produced by your air conditioner or furnace, throughout your home. When your ductwork is cracked, bent, crushed, improperly sized or poorly designed, the cooled or heated air your HVAC unit works so hard to create, cannot keep you comfortable. A thorough inspection and possibly sealing and modifying of your ductwork may be necessary to fix the problem.
Equipment Sizing – Trade associations and even Consumers Reports state that equipment MUST be sized using ACCA Manual J 8th Edition heat loss/heat gain load calculations protocols. Most original equipment installed in Lawton area homes NEVER had such a calculation performed and even today when replacing equipment most contractors in Lawton skip this important step in favor of using a vague BTUHs per square foot guesstimate or simply replacing what is there with the same size. This typically results in oversized or undersized equipment. Oversized equipment uses too much energy and doesn’t run long enough to cool, dehumidify or heat your home evenly. Undersized equipment cannot keep up with the demand on very hot or very cold days. Schedule a Home Comfort Survey and our Comfort Advisor will properly size your new equipment at NO CHARGE (a $295 value).
Thermostat – If you notice your AC is running, but not always cooling, you might want to check your thermostat settings. Most thermostats have an “auto” and “on” setting for the blower, and when set a certain way, can make your air conditioner seem like it’s not working properly. When set to “auto” the blower goes off and on according to the set room temperature. In the “on” position, the blower will run continuously regardless of the room temperature. This can introduce hot humid air back into the home due to house infiltration via from duct leakage and moisture collected by your indoor coil. Often, the “on” position is used for homes with air cleaners and other filtration systems installed as part of their HVAC system, but the between fan speed MUST be set properly to avoid these scenarios.
Refrigerant – As your unit ages, leaks may develop in the piping. These leaks may result in small amounts of refrigerant loss every season. Sometimes, your unit can leak too much refrigerant to be effective at keeping you cool. In other instances, the leaks may allow moisture and dirt to enter the system, which may cause blockages and prevent your unit from cooling properly. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to have your AC serviced on an annual basis.
Condenser Coils – Sometimes a stalled outdoor condenser coil can cause your unit to keep from blowing cool air. A blown fuse, tripped circuit breaker or other problem can cause it to quit working while the indoor and outdoor fans will continue to run, providing the facade your AC is operating, as it should. A professional inspection if your AC will help to determine if this is the problem.
When your AC isn’t keeping you comfortable, it’s best to contact a professional who can help you properly diagnose and repair the problem. At Pippin Brothers, our technicians are trained to fix your problem fast while saving your money.
Schedule service with us online today, or contact one of our experts to learn more about your air conditioning problems.