What To Do When Your AC Unit Won’t Cool Your Home Adequately
Air conditioning has become an integral part of all our lives. It makes our homes and workplaces bearable during the hottest parts of the day in summer. However, in some regions, the heat can become so intense outside that the units become unable to keep up. This is why it is important to know what to do when your AC unit won’t cool your home adequately.
The first thing to do is call an air conditioning service company and have a technician take a look at the unit. There may be issues with the unit itself that need repair or replacement. In addition, there can be breaks in the ducts that allow some of the cooled air to be dumped outside, under the house, or in the attic rather than inside the home. These conditions can be fixed to provide more cooled air to the home.
In some cases, the technician may take some measurements of the home space and air flow from the air conditioner and determine that the unit is simply too small for the space it is expected to cool. In this case, complete replacement of the system with a higher capacity one is indicated. One can contact several companies in the area to find the best price for a system capable of providing the desired cooling and its installation.
Adding insulation to the home will help to keep the air inside the home cooler. As a rule, the more insulation there is between the air inside and the air outside, the greater the temperature difference that can be maintained for longer periods of time. This applies to both the home itself, and the ducts that carry the cooled air throughout the home.
The addition of ceiling fans or other types of air circulating fans will help to make the air feel cooler, even if it is not as cool as desired. This is because air in motion has the ability to make the skin feel cooler and to absorb perspiration, taking it away from the body at a faster rate than still air. Fans will also help to keep the cooler air conditioned air at the level occupied by humans and push hot air upward toward the ceiling at a faster rate than ordinary convection.
Checking the thermostat setting may make a major difference as well. Many people believe that lowering the set temperature on the thermostat will result in colder air coming from the vents. This is not true at all. In general, the thermostat should be set no lower than 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Setting it to a lower temperature usually has two effects. One, the AC runs constantly trying to get the temperature down to the set point. Two, this can cause the condenser coil to freeze over, making it impossible to shed the heat absorbed by the refrigerant inside a home.
If the condenser freezes over, the only option is to turn the air conditioner off until it has thawed. This means a home will warm as the unit is thawing out and have to work harder to try and cool the home back down when restarted.