When the scorching hot long days of summer arrive, many of us turn to our air conditioning systems to stay comfortable. If you’ve noticed that your air conditioning system is not adequately cooling down your home, it could be due to a number of different issues. By understanding what these issues are, you can work to resolve the problem quickly so that you can get back to enjoying a nice cool home environment.
Dirty Air Filter
One of the easiest issues to fix is a dirty air filter. When your air conditioning system is having trouble calling your home, it could be because your air filter has reached the end of its lifespan. When this happens, your air conditioning system has to work extremely hard to push air through the clogged filter, which decreases your system’s efficiency.
A good rule of thumb to verify if your air filter needs to be replaced is to hold it up to a light source. If you can see through the filter, then you still have some useful life in it. If you can no longer see through the filter, it’s time to replace it. You’ll need to replace it with the same model number filter in order for it to fit inside of your filter housing.
Frozen Evaporator Coil
Another common problem that many homeowners face with their air conditioning system is frozen evaporator coils. As the air from inside of your home is blown across the evaporator coils, the heat from it is transferred into the refrigerant that runs through the evaporator coil. During this process, moisture is removed from the air and clings to the evaporator coil.
Whenever there is reduced airflow to the evaporator coils, or they become too dirty, the refrigerant is unable to consume heat from your indoor air. This results in the refrigerant getting way too cold and turning the water on the evaporator coil into ice. To fix this issue, you’ll first need to figure out what is causing the refrigerant not to consume the heat.
The most common reasons are dirty evaporator coils, a dirty air filter, or even a rodent infestation in the ductwork, which is reducing the airflow in your system. Once you fix the original problem, you can thaw out your evaporator coil and get ready to enjoy your air conditioning.
Low Refrigerant
Refrigerant is a necessary part of your air conditioning system as it removes the heat from the inside of your home. Whenever there is a lack in the level of refrigerant inside of your air conditioning system, its capacity to remove heat from the air greatly diminishes. If you think that your refrigerant level is low, it’s best to call in a professional to handle this issue.
This issue requires two specific fixes. First, your air conditioning pro will need to identify where the leaks are in your copper tubing and coils. These will need to be sealed up to prevent future refrigerant leaks. Second, they’ll need to add refrigerant to your system so that it’s back up to its full capacity. You shouldn’t attempt to do this on your own, as refrigerant can be dangerous when not handled appropriately.
Clogged Condenser Unit
Outside of your home is a condenser unit that is responsible for dispersing the warm air that came out of the inside of your home. When you look at your unit, you’ll notice that there’s a series of grates that allow air to blow through the unit. Whenever these grates become blocked with loose debris like leaves and twigs, it reduces the amount of air that can flow through the unit. This means that the heat is not able to be adequately dispersed into the outdoor air.
To fix this issue, you’ll need to remove the blockage that is covering the grates on your system. It’s also a good idea to take some precautionary steps to prevent future blockage by removing any overgrown shrubs or low-hanging tree limbs that are within a couple of feet of your outdoor condenser unit.
Leaky Ductwork
There’s a large amount of metal piping that runs throughout the walls and floors of your home. This ducting is connected to your air conditioning system to help circulate air throughout your entire home. Whenever any of this piping gets holes in it, the cooled air from your air conditioning system can leak out. Instead of the cold air reaching the rooms inside of your home, the cold air will leak into the wall and floor cavities of your home.
To fix this issue, you’ll need to hire an air conditioning expert to do the job. Since most of your ductwork is not visible to the naked eye, you’ll have to rely on the experts to use their specialized equipment with cameras to locate the source of the leaks and seal them up for you.
Blocked Ductwork
It’s not uncommon for rodents and other pests to find their way into your ductwork. In some cases, the infestation can get so big that it actually blocks the airflow inside of your ducting. You’ll usually be able to identify this issue by noticing that certain rooms in your home aren’t getting as cool as others. This is another issue that you’re going to have to call in an air conditioning pro with specialized equipment to handle.
Thermostat Issue
Your thermostat is responsible for telling your air conditioning system when to turn on and for how long. If your thermostat is experiencing a malfunction, it may not turn on your air conditioning system when it’s supposed to. A good way to test if your thermostat is the issue is to turn your desired temperature to at least five degrees below the actual room temperature.
If your air conditioning system does not kick on, then you likely have a problem with your thermostat or the wiring of it. To remedy this issue, you want to call in an air conditioning professional who can dive deeper into your thermostat problem to determine whether it’s a thermostat itself or the wiring leading to it.
Undersized AC Unit
If you’ve recently moved into a new home or you just installed a new air conditioning system, you may find that your system is actually undersized for your home. Whenever you have an undersized air conditioning system, it will constantly run and will be unable to properly cool down your entire home. You can do a simple mathematical equation to determine whether or not your current air conditioning system is actually adequate to cool your home.
You’ll want to take the square footage of your home and multiply that by 35. This will give you the number of BTUs that your air conditioning system should be able to output. You can find your system’s BTU capability inside of the panel box for your air conditioning system. If the BTU number for your system is way below the BTU capacity that you calculated for the square footage of your home, it’s likely that you have an undersized air conditioning system. You’ll want to call in a professional to upgrade your system to an appropriate capacity.
Unmatched AC Repair
Holbrook Heating & Air Conditioning provides unmatched air conditioning system repair for the Upstate New York area. We’re here for all of your residential and commercial cooling, heating, generator, heat pump, water heater, and indoor air quality needs. Just give us a call today to schedule your next service appointment.