When Dayton temperatures soar, we hear complaints that air-conditioners take forever to cool a home. While a skilled Lifestyle Comfort Solutions’ HVAC technician would need to visit your home to make a reliable diagnosis, Lisa E. Crosley, Lifestyle Comfort Solutions’ President, explains several reasons why your hard-working air-conditioner is not keeping you cool.
Above Average Outdoor Temperatures
Air-conditioning units are manufactured to design temperature. Simply put, this is the average temperature of a region about 99% of the time. When extreme temperatures exceed this design temperature, units work harder and you may not feel cool. In the Dayton region, design temperature is around 92 degrees. Regrettably, from time to time, we simply must endure those 1% days.
Further, above average temperatures may cause aging parts to fail, causing the air-conditioner to break down.
Dirty Air Filter
Here’s the first place to check even before calling for professional service. Dirty air filters can prevent your air-conditioner from cooling your home. A dirty filter limits the amount of air that is pulled back into your system to be cooled.
When air is restricted, humidity builds up, too. Your home will feel warmer even though your system seems to run continually.
Filters clog more quickly in extreme temperatures. It’s wise to check–and change–your filter as often as twice monthly during extreme heat.
Refrigerant Leaks
Your system requires refrigerant to cool your home. It’s the cooling liquid/gas which carries heat from inside your home to the outside. If your unit is low on refrigerant, your cooling system doesn’t operate properly. A unit which runs continually without cooling is a warning sign of low refrigerant.
Low refrigerant is most often the result of a leak, a hole in the refrigerant line or in the coils. Refrigerant leaks require professional repair and should be performed sooner rather than later. Refrigerants are sold by the pound. Government climate policies have created shortages of refrigerants and alarming spikes in cost.
Dirty Outdoor Unit
The outdoor unit is the part of your Dayton AC system which carries heat from refrigerant into outside air.
When your outdoor unit is dirty, or if the condenser coils are dirty, the AC will struggle to disperse heat. It will take longer to cool your home. Professional coil cleaning is a wise comfort investment.
Seasonal maintenance is critical to your comfort and to protecting your wallet from spiraling energy costs. Lifestyle Comfort Solutions offers Dayton homeowners a variety of maintenance plans which bundle seasonal checks with other money-saving benefits and priority service.
Improper Installation
- Your AC is improperly sized. AC units may be too small for your home. On the other hand, units which are too big for your home create the same problems. Improperly size units run continually without cooling, and don’t remove humidity.
- Restrictive air flow. With so many available styles, there’s a chance your air filter may be too restrictive for your system. Not all filters will work with your system. The MERV–Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value–may be too high. Values range from 1-16. This is a problem for your professional Lifestyle Comfort Solutions’ team member to solve.
Leaky Ducts
Air Ducts (duct work) carries cooled air to the spaces in your home where you wish to enjoy comfort. Holes in duct, loose or missing duct insulation, or mis-aligned duct cost you money.
The EPA estimates that the average home leaks around 25% of conditioned air before it reaches its desired location. Simply put, your waste 25 cents of every energy dollar you spend.
Lifestyle Comfort Solutions is a woman-owned, family-operated, award-winning heating and cooling company which serves homeowners in Dayton and its surrounding communities: Kettering, Centerville and Washington Township, Springboro, Englewood, Huber Heights, Fairborn, Beavercreek/Beavercreek Twp, and Bellbrook/Sugarcreek Twp. To learn more call us at 937.202.4520 or visit www.lifestylecomfortsolutions.com
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