Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough? Here Is What You Can Do

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air conditioner cleaning

If your air conditioner is not cooling enough, there are a few simple things you can do to make it cool better. Here are the steps to take to fix your air conditioner when it is cooling, but not enough:

  • 1. Make sure there is a clean air filter

The filter is usually something that is easily overlooked but has big impact on the performance of the air conditioner…especially if it’s a higher efficiency filter. (Higher efficiency filters block more airflow.)

  • 2. Gently clean the outdoor unit. If the outdoor coil has a layer of dirt on the surface, that can cause the air conditioner to not cool enough.
air conditioner cleaning
First turn the unit off. Then spray water (using just your regular household hose-end sprayer) and simply wash it down.

Pay close attention to the side of the unit that faces the house. The airflow is a little different and can tend to get dirtier than the other three sides.

  • 3. Trim back trees and shrubs 8-10 feet from the outdoor unit.

The HVAC system needs to breathe. The outdoor unit is trying to take all the heat from inside the house and move it to the outside. If something is blocking the airflow above or around the outdoor fan, it can cause your air conditioner to not cool enough inside.

Bonus Tip: Make sure your dampers are open for the cooling season. Learn how to find and adjust your dampers here.

If you do all of the above and your air conditioner is still not working well, we would recommend scheduling an HVAC professional to come check out your air conditioning.

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough: Simple Checks to Save Money Before Calling a Professional

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ac not cooling enough

If your air conditioner is cooling, but not cooling very well or not cooling enough, you want to check a few simple things before calling anyone to fix your air conditioner.

If your air conditioner is not cooling enough, the first thing to check is your air filter.

A dirty air filter can restrict air flow and prevent your air conditioner from cooling enough.  The furnace air filter is very easy to change yourself and could be your main problem!

If you see a mat of dust and dirt over the surface of the filter, it is likely causing a problem due to poor airflow.

However…

Even if the filter is a little bit dirty, a safe bet is to just replace it.  Typically you change your filter every three months, but depending on the time of year and how much your HVAC system is running, if it looks dirty, go ahead and change it.

The type of filter matters.

Home stores sell filters that can be extremely restrictive to air flow.  A “high efficiency” filter with some dust and dirt can almost turn into the equivalent of a piece of cardboard.  A restricted air filter can cut down the air flow to the air conditioner to the point where it affects how well it can cool.

We suggest a mid range MERV rating around 6 or 7.

Your air conditioner may not be cooling enough because of trees or bushes blocking the airflow from the outdoor unit.

The next thing to check is the outdoor ac unit.  The outdoor unit is called a condensing coil.

You may find bushes or trees that have overgrown and now they are blocking the airflow out of the top of the unit.  So, make sure everything is trimmed back at least a couple of feet all the way around the air conditioner.  Hot air needs to be ejected off the top of the unit.  If you have tree limbs or bushes hanging down over the unit, that causes the hot air to recycle back through the air conditioner.  So we want everything cleared away from the top and sides of the unit.  Keep everything 6-8 feet away from the unit to allow the discharge of heat and allow a free flow of air.



Is the outdoor coil clogged with dirt and debris?

Another check: is there dirt on the condenser coil?  Make sure it is not dirty with dust, dirt, or debris from nearby trees and bushes.  How you check the outdoor coil depends on what kind of cabinet you’re looking at.  Some outdoor units have little horizontal louvers you can look through to know if there’s dirt on the coil.  (Other units are vertical and some don’t have any louvers at all where the coil itself is completely exposed.) Look down and up into the condensing unit.  You should see the surface of an aluminum coil. It has little fins.

Dust, dirt, or cottonwood seeds can get inside and completely impact that coil.  This cuts down the airflow and that is probably the number one reason why your air conditioner is not cooling enough.

If the outdoor coil is clogged with dirt and debris, the air conditioner will not cool enough. If your outdoor condensing coil is clogged, you can try to clean it yourself.  A professional coil cleaning will clean from the inside out.  If you wish to clean the outdoor unit yourself, make sure to only use a light stream of water.  Too much pressure can damage the coils.  A nice, light stream of water at an angle can help remove some of that dirt and debris.

(It is possible to wash out an air conditioner in a way that damages some of the components.  Therefore we always recommend a professional perform a through cleaning.)

Watch a professional cleaning here.

Check Air Flow

We also encourage homeowners to walk around the living space and check air flow.  Put your hand over a vent and see if the airflow feels normal or not.  If there is barely any air coming out of some vents, but lots of air pouring out of others, that may mean you need to adjust dampers.

Adjust Dampers for Summer

adjust dampers for summer if your air conditioner is not cooling enoughTypically dampers can be adjusted manually.

If your dampers are not adjusted properly for the season, you may be moving the conditioned air to parts of the home where it is not needed, leaving other areas uncomfortable.  This is very common in two story homes.

Watch this video about changing dampers.

Where are the dampers?

The dampers are generally located in the basement or near your furnace.  If you’re looking at the furnace, straight above it is what we call a plenum.  It’s the big metal box that comes off the top of the furnace.  The plenum separates out throughout your home.

Right where it starts to branch out is usually where you will find some manual dampers.

There’s usually a handle to grab a hold of to rotate the damper.  The direction of the metal handle is the direction of the damper.  If it’s parallel to the duct it’s wide open and it’s letting all the air through.  If the handle is straight up and down and it’s perpendicular to the ductwork, it’s completely shut off.  You are not allowing air to that part of the home.

Is your air conditioner leaking water?

If you see any water or condensation on top of the furnace, that is a problem.  If you see water on the unit or on the floor around the furnace where there shouldn’t be water, it can usually mean one of two things.

1. One possibility is the drain is plugged up.  Your air conditioning system is trying to remove heat and humidity out of the house.  The condensation is designed to go down to the floor drain.  If something gets clogged up it starts overflowing and there will be a large volume of water where it does not belong.

a frozen coil can cause the ac to not cool enough and it will leak water2. Your coil could have ice on it.  The coil is a big box that sits above your furnace.  Ice can block the airflow and cause the air conditioner to function poorly.

The coil can actually become a huge block of ice.  When it thaws it will drip water all over the place so it ends up on top of the furnace or on the floor.  A dirty filter can cause that.  This is most likely an indication that you need maintenance on your system.  Dirty filters or an improper refrigerant charge can cause the unit to not cool well.

If your coil is frozen, turn it off.  The ice needs to be completely thawed before you can turn on your air conditioner again.

What is the best way to prevent air conditioner repairs?

Ultimately the best way to reduce the likelihood of having an air conditioner problem (and paying for a costly repair), is to have regular maintenance and cleaning.  We recommend a professional cleaning twice a year to keep your HVAC system running efficiently for many years to come!

One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning in Olathe, KS specializes in air conditioner repair in all of Johnson County, KS.

 

See What Happens At A Full Air Conditioner Tune Up: AC Tune Up Near Me

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What Does An AC Tune Up Include?

An AC Tune Up includes checking and cleaning all major components of your air conditioning system.  Also included is checking to make sure you have the proper freon levels in your ac unit.  This makes sure the ac unit is not leaking and will not leave you without air conditioning in the summer.

It is important to check the power level of your capacitor.  Checking the capacitor, makes sure it will continue to start your outdoor unit.  If your capacitor is low on power, an HVAC technician typically recommends replacing your capacitor preventatively. If the capacitor loses enough power, it will leave you without air conditioning.  Also an important reason to replace a capacitor that is low on power preventatively, is if the capacitor is not providing enough power to the more expensive components, it can create problems for those other parts.  These parts are much more expensive to replace such as a blower motor.  Watch this video that explains the importance of checking your capacitor.

At One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning, we also check the major components of your furnace as well during your air conditioner maintenance to make sure we are not overlooking one side of the system.


How Often Should AC Be Tuned Up?

We recommend getting regular maintenance done or getting an ac tune up one time per year.  It is important to keep your outdoor unit free of debris that clogs it throughout the year.  The outdoor coil can be considered the “lungs” of the system so if it can’t breathe properly, the air conditioner will not be able to cool your home enough.

Often ac tune ups will uncover an ac repair that needs to be done preventatively so you will not be left with an air conditioner breakdown.

How To Wash Out Your Air Conditioner

While a professional cleaning is always best because you can get a much more thorough clean from the inside out, you can help your air conditioner by washing the outside.  Watch our demonstration here to learn how to wash out your air conditioner properly.  If you have a professional cleaning done once per year, it is not necessary to clean your outdoor unit yourself unless you have an unusual amount of leaves, dirt, etc. on your outdoor unit that may be causing it to not work properly.

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough?

If your air conditioner is not cooling enough, it is possible that you can help solve the problem.  Lack of maintenance and dirt in general creates problems for your air conditioner.  If your air conditioner is not cooling enough, try changing your air filter and do a gentle wash of the outdoor unit with a light stream of water.  These simple changes may help!  It is important to change your air filter regularly.  Please watch this video on what can happen if you do not change your filter.

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough: 2 Simple Checks To Do Yourself

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If your air conditioner is running but not cooling enough, we have two simple checks you can do yourself:
1. check for a dirty furnace air filter that is blocking airflow, and
2. checking for a dirty outdoor coil that is restricting airflow from the outdoor unit.

Dirty Furnace Air Filters Can Cause the Air Conditioner to Not Cool Enough

The first thing to check if your air conditioner is running but not cooling enough, is your air filter.  The air filter is typically easy to access for most people. Pull out the filter and make sure that it is relatively clean.  If a dirty air filter is causing the air conditioner to not cool well, you can see a mat of dust and dirt over the surface.   Home centers sell filters that are pleated-type filters that are extremely restrictive to air flow. Your filter could turn into a piece of cardboard as far as airflow. A really restricted air filter cuts down the air flow to the air conditioner to the point where affects how well it cools.

Trim Bushes and Branches Around Outdoor Unit To Not Block the Outdoor Unit From Expelling Heat

Air conditioner is running but not cooling enoughThe second thing to check if your air conditioner is running but not cooling enough. is the outdoor unit. (The outdoor unit is called the condensing unit.) Look at the outdoor unit to see if there are overgrown bushes that are blocking the airflow out of the top of the unit.  Make sure everything is trimmed back at least a couple of feet all around the air conditioner so you have a free flow of air.

Check For Dirt On Outdoor Coil

Another thing to check is to see if there is dirt on your outdoor coil.  This can be a bit difficult to check as you typically need to look up through louvers to see the exposed aluminum coil on the inside.  There are little fins on it you can clearly see.  Dust, dirt and in our area, cottonwood seeds will completely impact the coil which cuts down the air flow.

Pro tip: You can wash the outdoor coil, but it needs to be carefully washed from the inside out.  It is very easy to damage the outdoor unit if it is not cleaned properly.

Dirt and airflow restriction are the main reasons why your air conditioner is not cooling enough.   Therefore, if you don’t see a problem with the filter or the outdoor coil, contact the professional.

 

Air Conditioner Freon Leak Symptoms

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If your air conditioner is not cooling well, it is possible you have a freon leak.  Due to the cost most people are hoping that the problem with their air conditioner is anything but a freon leak.  Symptoms of a freon leak can vary, but a common symptom is when your air conditioner doesn’t seem to be keeping up the set temperature.  Typically a freon leak happens slowly so if the air conditioner is slowly getting worse about keeping the desired temperature you may have a freon leak.

Every summer we get calls from customers who tell us that they think their air conditioner needs to be charged up.   Your air conditioner is a closed system.  Refrigerant doesn’t go bad, it doesn’t get stale, and doesn’t wear out.   If we have to add refrigerant is because it has leaked out. That’s the only reason we would be putting refrigerant in.

What Are Symptoms of a Freon Leak?

Symptoms of an air conditioner that is running short of refrigerant would be that it is short of capacity.  It is operating at less than it’s full capacity. Ask yourself, “Is this how an air conditioner that was too small cool my house?” It’s going to be running all the time, and the air is not going to feel as cold as it should.  The air conditioner will have a general lack of performance.  So it may be working, but not working very well.

Why Is Freon Expensive?

The cost of freon has gone up exponentially due to government regulations and supply and demand for freon that is no longer being produced.

The rules laws of supply and demand has made refrigerant quite expensive and it’s a whole different type of repair than what it was 20 years ago.

Can A Freon Leak Stop Your Air Conditioner?

It actually can make the air conditioner stop.  However what usually happens is that refrigerant leaks slowly over time.  When there is a slow leak, there’s still enough refrigerant in the system that it can refrigerate it can do some cooling. However it will not be operating properly and it will cause the pressure to be too low for the coil inside.  This causes the coil to “freeze” and eventually stop the air conditioner from working.

Where Do You Find A Freon Leak?

You could find a freon leak in many places on the heating and cooling system.  There are access points to the refrigeration system that sometimes can leak, such as the service caps and schrader valves, and solder joints can begin to leak over time.  Vibration can cause these components to vibrate and rub against each other and cause leaks.

There are a number of different ways vibration can cause a leak but it usually starts out as something very slow.  You find yourself asking, “is it really cooling like it should?” And you realize your air conditioner is not operating as good as you remember it was last year. However a leak can also happen rather quickly.  Sometimes something catastrophic can happen where something breaks or cracks after something has gotten brittle and moved over time.

Can You Smell Freon?

You can smell freon, it has a kind of oily smell.  There is a lot of oil in refrigerant, however when you are working with residential units there is not enough refrigerant in your system where you could smell a leak from inside your home.  Keep in mind, refrigerant is dangerous and you should never breathe it in.  However, trying to detect a freon leak by trying to smell it will not be a successful way of finding a leak.

Does Freon Leak Only When The Air Conditioner Is On?

If your air conditioner has a leak, it is leaking all the time. Your heating and air conditioning system is supposed to be a closed, sealed system.  Refrigerant doesn’t wear out, doesn’t go bad and should never leak.

This means that one summer your air conditioner may be working, but perhaps you notice that it is not keeping up the desired temperature as well as it usually does.  Then the first time you turn it on the next season, it might be totally out and cause the air conditioner to not work at all.

It sat there all winter leaking just a little bit. It’s leaking every day of the year all day every day. So if you had a problem in the past, it’s always wise to turn the air conditioner on early.  Turn it on before it gets really hot outside. Flip it on and and then find out if all the refrigerant has leaked out. Maybe do a preemptive check into things and make sure everything’s cool literally.

How Do You Find A Freon Leak?

If you have a freon leak, we can find it.  We have the tools and experience to do that.  However, it does take some time to find it.  We check critical points first that are most likely to have a leak.  There are common areas on the system that tend to have leaks and sometimes we know that particular brand or type of coil that might have a tendency to leak over time in a certain place or certain way.

Can You Spot a Freon Leak Visually?

You can sometimes spot a leak visually if it is a really big, catastrophic leak.  You might have a wet coil and see a little bit of bubble or moisture. However, typically we need electronic Leak Detectors. These are very sophisticated electronic devices that are trained to detect refrigerants, and have helped us greatly in pinpointing where there is a problem.

Where Would You Expect A Leak To Be?

There are joints that are all field-engineered. Certain components to the air conditioning system are installed in the field.  These are places we are most likely to find a freon leak.  Once again, it goes back to the most important day in the life of the system is the day it was installed.

What To Do If You Think You Have A Freon Leak

What you need to know is if you have an air conditioner and it is not running as well as it should, give a professional a call and have it checked out.  It is a false economy thinking it’s too expensive to have it looked.  If you try to just put up with it, it is going to be running many, many more hours than it needs to.

That causes your utility bill to go up and you’re not comfortable.  Plus, it’s still leaking. So let’s get it looked at and figure out the problem, because nobody likes a leaky air conditioner.

How Do You Prevent A Freon Leak?

Regular maintenance of your air conditioner is the best way to prevent a freon leak.  During a maintenance inspection, we’re checking an air conditioner for components that move over time.  There are components that are bendable or can move.  We’re looking for components that are rubbing up against something that they shouldn’t be and could cause the problem. If the technician finds something that may be causing vibration, they will want to get some separation between those components because something could rub up against something and over time it will create a problem.  Catching these types of possible problems are a big part of our maintenance tune up.

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough?

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Has this ever happened to you?  Your air conditioner is running, but it is just not quite keeping the house at the temperature you want it to be.  It always is working hard and not cooling the house enough.  We get this question in many different forms and the answer as to why can vary.

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough?

Is there something you can do about your air conditioner not cooling enough or are you stuck with certain areas of your house never getting below 85 degrees in the summer time?

When it comes to your air conditioner, just about every symptom could have several different possible solutions. There’s always multiple explanations as to what could possibly be going on.  For that reason before we get started fixing the problem, we need to cover our bases and get to the bottom of what is really causing the problem if your air conditioner is not cooling enough.  The first thing you should do is to take an inventory of what is happening.

Take An Inventory Of What Is Going On With Your Air Conditioner

When you think you have a problem with your air conditioner the first thing to do is nothing.  That’s right.  Don’t touch anything.  Just leave it alone and take an inventory of what is happening.  Go to the thermostat. Is it set on cooling? What temperature is it set at versus what is the room temperature?

If you know the air conditioner is set to cool, and you can see that it is not getting to the set temperature, you know you have a problem.

What’s working and not working? Is the furnace blowing air inside? If you go over to a register and put your hand in front of it is it blowing air?

Now to the unit outside. Is it blowing air? There’s a little fan on the top or side of your air conditioner. Is that fan blowing or not blowing.  If it is blowing air what is the temperature of that air?  Hot or cold?  If you know those things we can really help figure out what’s going on.

What Is The Temperature Of The Air Coming From The Outdoor Fan?

What difference does it make what the temperature is of the air coming off the outdoor unit fan?  When you put your hand over the outdoor fan, the air coming from it is usually hot.  What your are feeling is the heat that was inside now being pushed to the outside.

So, if you feel air coming for the outdoor fan and it feels cool instead of warm, that means the hot air is not being taken out of the inside of your house.  Under normal circumstances the hot air from inside is rejected outside.

What Is The Solution To Your Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough?

So let’s say everything appears to be working but just not quite cooling enough.  Usually around 80% of the time it needs maintenance.  A dirty coil for example, can cause your air conditioner to not be efficient and to not cool as much as when it is clean.  Dirty filters will also cause your air conditioner’s performance to suffer and can cause a multitude of problems relating to efficiency.  When the air is not allowed to circulate properly, your air conditioner will feel like it is not keeping up to the desired temperature especially in the heat of the summer.

The good news is that if your air conditioner is not cooling enough, a simple maintenance visit will more than likely fix the issue.  However, we strongly recommend a trained professional to do the maintenance on your air conditioner.  A maintenance visit and the complete cleaning of a cooling system involves high voltage electricity and refrigerants at high pressure.  There are also many smaller components that can be damaged in the process of cleaning your air conditioner if you do not know how to do it properly.

So, if your air conditioner is not cooling enough, don’t fear the worst.  It is probably something very simple that can be fixed during an air conditioner tune up or maintenance visit.

It is a good idea to get your air conditioner checked out if it is not cooling enough because it is currently using much more electricity that it needs.  So it’s already costing you more money than it should, plus you’re not comfortable.  Maintenance will help that a lot by cleaning up all of the components.

Check Your Air Conditioner Early In The Season Especially If You Think It May Have A Problem

In addition to getting an air conditioner maintenance and tune up to address the problem of your air conditioner not cooling enough, we recommend you do some in-house things to keep the cool air in your house. Take an inventory of your house to make sure you are not blocking registers or releasing the conditioned air.  One common issue we see every summer is a customer complaining about the duct work sweating near the basement.  Water dripping from the duct work isn’t normal and the issue is usually resolved by finding a basement window that got left open and closing it.

If a basement window is left open during the spring, it lets in an endless amount of humidity in your basement. This causes condensation to collect on everything that is cool and will cause things like the duct work to “sweat” and cause water issues in your basement.

Double Check Those Storm Windows

Another thing you can do on your own to make sure your air conditioner can keep the desired temperature is to make sure your storm windows are closed.  If your storm windows are left open during the heat of the summer you go from what could be the equivalent of a double or triple pane glass to a single pane window. You don’t notice these things when it is 72 degrees outside, but you do when it is 100 degrees outside which can cause your air conditioner to not cool enough.

 

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