3 Reasons Your AC Is Not Cooling

Your air conditioning system is beneficial for many reasons. Not only is it important for keeping your home and family cool during the warm seasons, but it is also an essential part of maintaining healthy humidity in your home. Unfortunately, if your AC system is not cooling, you will experience discomfort in the warm seasons and potentially unhealthy air quality. Help is available if you are noticing your system is not cooling properly. With this guide and your contractor's help, you will learn a few common reasons why AC systems stop cooling.

Low Refrigerant

Refrigerant is a gas that works in conjunction with your AC system's compressor and evaporator to absorb heat. This gas is an imperative part of creating cool air for your home. Unfortunately, the refrigerant can be lost over time with the basic use of your air conditioning system.

If you are not feeling cool air coming through your vents even though your AC is running, you may have low refrigerant levels. However, that is not the only sign of low refrigerant levels.

Without a sufficient level of refrigerant, your system will need to work harder to cool and maintain cool temperatures in your home. This increased amount of effort uses more energy, which can increase your monthly energy bills. Therefore, if you notice an increase in your energy usage and your system is struggling to cool, you may need additional refrigerant.

There may be visible signs that you are low on refrigerant, as well. Check the outdoor unit for signs of a frosty buildup on the evaporator coil. If a system is low on refrigerant, condensation can form on those coils. Then, after the AC starts to work and lower temperatures, this condensation can freeze.

Finally, you may hear a hissing sound near the outdoor unit. This may be refrigerant gas slowly leaking out of your system.

Addressing the causes of the leak is key, but your contractor should also recharge the system with more refrigerant.

Insufficient Air Flow

Another common cause of air conditioning that is not cooling is insufficient airflow. Your system may be working as well as it can, but the cool air cannot move into your home fully because of different reasons.

Clogged filters are the most common reason why air is not flowing into your home. These filters can quickly clog up with dirt, dust, and other debris, blocking airflow and increasing the risk of allergens residing in your home's air.

Check your filters and replace them regularly, especially if you have pets or family members with allergies. This will help reduce allergy symptoms, dust accumulation, and stress on your cooling system.

Issues with your ductwork can also prevent air from moving in and out of the home properly. If you have holes or tears in the ductwork, conditioned air will not move in completely, reducing your system's ability to cool your home.

Thermostat Issue

You may be surprised that an issue with your thermostat could be preventing your system from cooling. If you are struggling to cool off, check your thermostat for signs.

If the display is blank, for example, your thermostat may not have batteries, which means it will not be able to control the system's cooling ability. Replace the batteries and then make sure the thermostat is set to cool to your desired temperature. Allow the system some time to start cooling once the new batteries are in.

If the batteries are new, there still may be an underlying electrical issue with your thermostat. A contractor can check the electrical currents or replace the thermostat so you can start air conditioning your home again.

Help is available if your system is not cooling properly. If you need AC repairs, contact your air conditioning contractor today.


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