Why Does the AC Take So Long to Cool Down the House?

When it’s hot outside, you depend on your air conditioner to keep things comfortable inside. But is your air conditioner taking too long to cool down the house? This is common on sweltering days, which push your AC system harder than average. However, if it’s not especially hot outside and your AC is still having a tough time, your cooling equipment could have a problem. Try these tips to help you resolve the matter.

Dirty Air Filter

A clogged filter is the most common reason an air conditioner needs too much time to cool down the house. The function of a filter is to catch airborne particles that might harm your HVAC equipment. More efficient filters even capture tiny airborne contaminants to improve indoor air quality.

Eventually, the filter becomes clogged with dust, pet hair, and textile fibers, limiting airflow. Besides making the air conditioner take a long time to cool down the house, this problem can also produce higher energy bills, increased wear and tear, and overheating.

Solution: Check your air filter once a month and exchange it if it appears dirty. Don’t wait more than three months to replace the filter or follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you’re unsure where your air filter is, ask a local HVAC technician at your next service visit.

Improper Thermostat Settings

Your thermostat needs to be compatible with your air conditioner to function correctly. Then, you need to set it correctly to sustain a comfortable temperature. Employing a programmable or Wi-Fi thermostat offers the best results.

Solution: If you want to upgrade your thermostat, require help learning about programmable options, or aren’t comfortable programming a thermostat by yourself, contact an HVAC technician at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for support.

Dirty Evaporator Coil

Split-system air conditioners need an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit includes the evaporator coil, which absorbs heat from the air via the refrigerant. It’s hard for the refrigerant to absorb heat effectively if the evaporator coil is dirty, making it take longer to cool down the house.

Solution: Call our HVAC specialists to clean and tune up your air conditioner. An important part of this maintenance involves cleaning out dust and grime from the evaporator coil to boost cooling performance.

Dirty or Obstructed Outdoor Unit

Your AC system’s cooling cycle requires transporting heated refrigerant to the outdoor unit, where it ventilates heat to the exterior. However, if the outdoor unit is dirty or overgrown with encroaching vegetation, the cooling cycle can be less successful.

Solution: Carefully hose off the outdoor unit to remove dust, cobwebs, pine needles and grass clippings. Then, prune back bushes to at least 12 inches from the unit to boost ventilation.

Refrigerant Leak

Refrigerant is an essential tool to effective cooling. Typically, this substance flows in a closed loop between the indoor and outdoor units. If a leak develops and your cooling loses refrigerant, it becomes more difficult to handle the cycle of absorbing and releasing heat from your home.

Solution: Only a trained technician can fix refrigerant leaks and recharge the system. If you think you’re dealing with this problem, call our HVAC experts for help right away.

Leaky Ductwork

Air ducts are the highways of your HVAC system. A leak on either the return or supply side could make your air conditioner run harder and longer maintain comfortable temperatures.

Solution: If you are dealing with uneven temperatures and an excessive amount of dust around the house, contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to examine your ventilation. Duct sealing or replacement can take care of the problem.

Dirty or Blocked Air Vents

Cooled air can only flow throughout your home when the supply and return vents are open and unobstructed. Shutting too many vents can even mess with the system’s balance, leading to more breakdowns and repair costs.

Solution: Inspect the vents in each room, seeing to it that they’re open and not blocked by furniture, rugs or curtains.

Old or Undersized AC System

Did you set up your air conditioning more than 10 to 15 years ago? As it gets older, the unit becomes less effective and may fail to maintain steady cooling. Likewise, have you recently finished a home extension or made other changes? This may leave you with an undersized air conditioner that may be unable to keep up with demand.

Solution: The only solution for an old or undersized air conditioner is to replace it. Depend on our certified HVAC technicians to size and install your new unit for comfort and efficiency.

Schedule AC Repair with Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

If your troubleshooting still proves ineffective, feel free to contact the HVAC pros at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. We provide fast, effective services to get your AC back up and running as soon as possible. You can count on the fact that our technicians stick to the highest standards of care to ensure your long-term satisfaction. Contact us to arrange air conditioning repair or any other HVAC services today.