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

When it’s sizzling outside, you count on your air conditioner to keep things comfortable inside. But is your air conditioner taking too long to cool down the house? This is familiar on sweltering days, which strain your air conditioner harder than average. However, if it’s not particularly hot outside and your cooling is still having a hard time, your air conditioner might have a problem. Try these tips to help you resolve the issue.

Dirty Air Filter

A clogged filter is the most common reason an air conditioner needs more time to lower the temperature of the house. The purpose of a filter is to snare airborne debris that might damage sensitive HVAC equipment. More advanced filters even catch tiny airborne particles to improve indoor air quality.

As time passes, the filter becomes blocked up with dust, pet hair, and textile fibers, restricting circulation. Besides making an air conditioner take a long time to cool down the house, this issue can also produce higher energy bills, additional wear and tear, and overheating.

Solution: Check your air filter once a month and replace it if it looks dirty. Don't wait over three months to replace the filter or follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you’re uncertain where your air filter is, check with your HVAC technician at your next service visit.

Improper Thermostat Settings

Your thermostat needs to be compatible with your cooling to run effectively. Then, you need to set it correctly to reach a nice temperature. Using a programmable or Wi-Fi thermostat offers the best results.

Solution: If you want to update your thermostat, require help learning about programmable options, or aren't comfortable programming a thermostat by yourself, get in touch with an HVAC technician at Comfort Masters Service Experts for assistance.

Dirty Evaporator Coil

Split-system air conditioners have an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit features the evaporator coil, which soaks up heat from the air with the refrigerant. It’s challenging for the refrigerant to soak up heat efficiently if the evaporator coil is filthy, making it take longer to lower the temperature of your house.

Solution: Contact our HVAC experts to clean and tune up your air conditioner. Part of this maintenance involves clearing away dirt and grime from the evaporator coil to enhance cooling performance.

Dirty or Obstructed Outdoor Unit

A cooling cycle requires moving hot refrigerant to the outdoor unit, where it exhausts heat away from your home. Unfortunately, if the outdoor unit is dirty or surrounded by encroaching vegetation, the cooling cycle can be less effective.

Solution: Lightly hose down the outdoor unit to get rid of dust, cobwebs, pine needles and grass clippings. Then, prune back bushes to at least 12 inches from the unit to improve ventilation.

Refrigerant Leak

Refrigerant is the key to a cool home. Normally, this substance moves in a closed loop between the indoor and outdoor units. If a leak develops and your cooling loses refrigerant, it becomes less capable of absorbing and expelling heat from your home.

Solution: Only a qualified technician can fix refrigerant leaks and recharge the system. If you think you're dealing with this problem, get in touch with our HVAC experts for help straight away.

Leaky Ductwork

Air ducts are vital to your HVAC system. A leak in either the return or supply side might make your air conditioner run harder and longer to cool your home.

Solution: If you notice uneven temperatures and excessive dust in the house, get ahold of Comfort Masters Service Experts to examine your ventilation. Duct sealing or replacement can resolve the problem.

Dirty or Blocked Air Vents

Cool air can only move throughout your home when the air vents are open and free from any obstructions. Shutting too many vents can even mess with the system’s balance, leading to more breakdowns and repair costs.

Solution: Check the vents in each room, seeing to it that they’re open and unblocked by furniture, rugs or curtains.

Outdated or Inadequately Sized AC System

Did you set up your air conditioning more than 10 to 15 years ago? As time passes, the unit becomes less efficient and can struggle to maintain comfortable temperatures. Furthermore, have you recently finished a home extension or made other improvements? This can leave you with an undersized air conditioner that will struggle to keep up with demand.

Solution: The only fix for an outdated or undersized air conditioner is to swap it out. Count on our trained HVAC technicians to size and install your new unit for comfort and efficiency.

Schedule AC Repair with Comfort Masters Service Experts

If your troubleshooting still proves ineffective, it’s time to contact the HVAC pros at Comfort Masters Service Experts. We deliver fast, efficient support to get your cooling back up and running as soon as possible. You can count on the fact that our technicians adhere to the highest standards of support to ensure your long-term comfort. Contact us to schedule air conditioning repair or other HVAC services today.