My air conditioning is not cooling the way it should (ie the room temp stays at 76 even when its set on 73)?

Question

My air conditioning is not cooling the way it should (ie the room temp stays at 76 even when its set on 73)

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Have your local electrical company come out and do an energy audit. Have a pad and paper handy to take notes. When they see that you are very serious about the problem, they will spend more time with you. We had this done last week and the gentleman stayed for 3 hours and gave us information that was priceless. We live in an older house and there was alot to be done. First and foremost he will check the freeon and filter. The freeon can be low. If there is ice on the coils, thats a good sign that you are probably low on freeon.

Get an 8" thermometer (you can get it at a garden store... make sure it is no less than 8") and tape it next to your thermometer. It will give you the most accurate temperature reading.

The vents (vent supply box) where the air comes out, are they screwed in? If not, you could be losing 7 degrees within a couple of feet where the air comes out. Take the vents out, put strips of insulation around the box and then cover with foil tape, get the one w/out the UL logo. It's the exact same thing, just cheaper. Then screw in the vents.

There are so many more things that we were told, but I think that's a good start. He should look in the attic and check your insulation.

Don't worry about replacing windows unless you plan on being in your house 20+ years, it takes that long to get your money back and it's not the biggest cause of a problem like that.

You do want to keep the windows that are facing the sun during the day well shaded. There are many ways to do this. It's best to do something that keeps the heat from getting in the house with shading fabric that can go on the outside of the windows, awnings, or other types of shading.

Use fluorescent light bulbs, they are more expensive, but it's not the fact that they will save on energy that makes them so good, it's the fact that they don't emit as much heat. Get a bulb and put it on one lamp and use the regular kind on the other and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Keep all doors to all the rooms cracked. If you must close them completely only do it for 3 hours at the most. This keeps the flow of air circulating. It went against everything I'd ever been told.

If there's not a vent in the kitchen or bathrooms the humidity will make the house hotter. After a shower, get a small fan, place in the window, close the door for 15 minutes and let the steam out.

If for some reason you need a new AC, and I doubt that you do. Make sure you get at least 4 quotes. Ask whoever the person is doing an estimate for a unit -- and this is critical -- for either the Manual J or Green sheet -- and then HAVE HIM EXPLAIN IT TO YOU. After you have 4 estimates go to each one and ask if they can beat the original price.

You may need to check your insulation. If you've had a leak in room, the insulation got wet. Wet insulation is WORSE than having no insulation at all.

Good luck and call the power company. They can really help you.

Answer 2

Ok, you say it is not cooling as it should. Last year, did it cool better? I am lazy, so let's check a few things before we throw money at it. How cold is the air coming out of the vents and how cold is the air going into the air intake..use a thermometer. A good system can creat a differential of 15 or more degrees. Much over 20 degrees and yes, the air is blocked due to restricted air filter or clogged evaporator.
Next,,do outside to the condensor..the outside unit. Has grass grown into or is dirt clogging the cooling fins. THey must be straight and dirt free to transfer heat. Near the house you will see to copper lines going into the house. Large ..3/4 to 1" and small,,3/8". The small line should be 10-15 degrees abover ambient temperature and the large line quite cool and sweating. If the large line is not sweating or just cool, and ever thing else checks out OK, the system needs recharging with probably R 22.
Good Luck

Answer 3

The first question I would ask is:

What is the temperature outside?

A home AC will not pull the temp down more than about 12 -15 degrees below the outside temperature.

Next would be the coolant level. Too little coolant and the coil freezes. I would turn my AC off, live with it until it has had a chance to melt and ice buildup and then turn it back on.

Answer 4

first thing ......change the filter. that is usually the issue when temp is and holds at 76 or so...system is cooling but cant get the heat transfer due to a clogged filter or next have the system preventitive maint done. they will clean coils inside and out to help bring system back to life.

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Answer 5

Maybe too many. Easy, quick fix is dead batteries in the thermostat. It's possible the entire thermostat is bad. It may be out of freon, check the outside unit to look for signs of freezing / frost. Where are you? I'm in SC and right now we are in the throes of a heat wave. My a/c runs all day, can't keep up. Perhaps this is it and 73 is too low a temp to keep the thermostat set.

Answer 6

Put a wet towel against the suction side of the far. This will cool by evaporation. Relocate your sleeping space to within the airflow between the windows.

Answer 7

have u checked behind the front cover? try taking the front cover off and c how dirty the ac is.. if its really dirty i suggest tha u remove the unit,take it outside and wash it out with a high pressure hose and or oven cleaner and rubber gloves b-cause oven cleaner is very stronge.check for possible ways that air can escape from ur room,maybe put tint on windows,make room as dark as u can,use less wattage of light bulbs...

Answer 8

As X X said it is most likely the filter. I have the same problem when I forget to clean mine.

Answer 9

Do you have an attic? If so an attic fan will help the air conditioner out quite a bit.

Answer 10

Do you have any window or any storm windows up? Check for open areas where air can get in. Maybe a vent in your basement (if you have one) is open!