If My AC Is Running Non-Stop Do I Need Air Conditioning Repair | Fort Worth, TX
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Fort Worth, TX summers are hot and miserable. They are hot and sticky and it is no wonder that most people keep their AC on throughout the summer months. However, just because you have our air conditioning on does not mean that it should be running constantly. If your air conditioning is running around the clock it may be time to think about air conditioning repair. The summer will be here again, and that makes now the best time to investigate air conditioning repair so you can get to the bottom of why the AC is always running.
You don’t want to go through another summer of your AC running constantly because you will end up paying much more for energy bills than you should be. In addition, you will be placing extra strain on your AC system and eventually may end up requiring air conditioning repair anyhow. It is always better to get ahead of the situation with scheduled air conditioning repair than find yourself without any AC in the middle of a 100-degree scorcher in Fort Worth, TX. Here are just a few reasons that your AC system may be cycling non-stop and whether or not they call for air conditioning repair.
Incorrect Size or Installation
One of the most common reasons that an HVAC system runs all summer attempting to cool your home is because it is the wrong size for your home. The second reason is that it was not installed correctly. Both can be harmful to your HVAC system over time because it will age a lot quicker than it should. Plus, it will wreak havoc on your energy bills. Sometimes the situation is not surprising, like if you build an addition onto your home and don’t think about the extra space needing to be heated or cooled. Other times it was a mistake made by an HVAC installer, which is not quite as understandable.
If your unit is too small it will be running all of the time which means that it is going to wear down faster and you will probably never have a cool enough Fort Worth, TX home despite your high energy bills. If your unit is too large it won’t remove the moisture right from the air in your home which will make it feel clammy inside erasing any comfort the cooler air should bring with it. If the system is new, you may not have a lot of options at this point outside of calling an AC repair company to see what they can do. However, if you have recently purchased your home and the HVAC system is old, this may be a sign that it’s time to replace it. While most homeowners don’t want to replace an HVAC system until they have to because of the expense, a replacement could be cheaper than continuing to pay elevated cooling bills every summer.
In addition, there is always the chance that your HVAC system is correctly sized but your ductwork is not the right size. If the ducts are not the right size then cool air will not be distributed equally throughout your home even if it is being produced accurately. This is actually something that an air conditioning repair company can help you troubleshoot. Adjusting or replacing certain aspects of your ductwork with the help of an air conditioning repair company can go a long way towards helping your AC system be much more efficient during the long Fort Worth, TX months.
Check Your Air Filter
Before rushing to call for air conditioning repair, you may want to check your air filter if your AC is constantly running. Take a second to think back and ponder the last time you changed it. Not only could this be causing the issue, but it’s a very simple fix since all you need to do is put in a new air filter.
A lot of people forget about their AC filters because it is out of sight and out of mind. However, dirty airflow will dramatically reduce the flow of air within the system. It will reduce the amount of cool air produced by your air conditioner which will, in turn, make it work harder to cool your home. Depending on how clogged the air filter is, the AC very well may need to run all day to try and cool your home since very limited amounts of air are getting through at a time.
Believe it or not, one of the main reasons that Fort Worth, TX HVAC systems break down is because they overheat, and they overheat because the dirty filter is making the AC work much harder than it should be. Cleaning the debris on a washable filter or simply replacing the filter will change the performance and energy-efficiency of your air conditioning in minutes. This is also something you can do on your own without the help of air conditioning repair technicians so it is in your best interests to take care of the task.
Check the Condenser Coils
Your air filter is not the only area of your air conditioning system that may be dirty, your condenser could be dirty as well and causing similar issues with your HVAC performance. The condenser is the outdoor unit and can get dirty and covered in dirt, leaves, grass clippings, pet hair, and other similar outdoor debris. The more stuff falls into the condenser the more the potential airflow will be reduced eventually resulting in a much lower performance forcing the A/C to run around the clock to try to compensate for it.
If you book annual air conditioning repair and service in Fort Worth, TX your technician should check and inspect both the evaporator coils and the condenser. The condenser coils need to be cleaned at least once a year because they are exposed to everything that falls down on them outdoors. Most homeowners ignore their outdoor unit, but it may be more prudent to make sure you keep the area clean as much as possible. Raking leaves, sticks, and debris away from your condenser every so often is extremely helpful. Also, try not to plant anything near it that will shed or blow into it such as flowering trees or bushes.
While you can see the condenser coils to evaluate if there is a problem or not, you cannot see the evaporator coils because they are tucked away which is why it is so important to have an annual air conditioning repair and service appointment. Yoru evaporator coils need to be cleaned just as frequently or the dirt and debris will slow down or possibly break down your system. Neither is a great place to be and you don’t want to find yourself on a waiting list for air conditioning repair in the hot Texan summers.
Air Leaks in Your Home
Sometimes your AC constantly running does not signal that it is time for air conditioning repair, but it may signal that you have some leaks in your home that need to be addressed. An efficient HVAC system will still be fighting an uphill battle if you have leaks near your windows or doors. In order to save money and reduce the stress on your HVAC unit, you need to make sure that your home is closed up tightly while the AC is on to keep the warm out and the cool air in.
Other common culprits include poorly insulated walls or roofing. A lot of people only think about insulation when it comes to cold weather, but in truth, insulation is just as important in warm climates like Fort Worth, TX as it is in cool climates like the midwest. The insulation forms a barrier between your home and the outdoors, and if that barrier is not strong enough air will leak in. Bear in mind that you may also be losing cool air through leaks in your basement as well.
If poor insulation or leakage around older doors and windows is causing your AC to run all summer no amount of air conditioning repair will solve this problem because your HVAC system is not to blame. In fact, there is a good chance your A/C will never reach the target temperature on your thermostat.
Faulty Thermostat
Sometimes your A/C may not be directly to blame for running constantly, because the fault may fall on the thermostat instead. If your A/C is running all of the time before calling for air conditioning repair in Fort Worth, TX you may want to consider checking your thermostat. If your thermostat is incorrectly reading the temperature in your home then your A/C unit may continue running because it thinks that your home is not cool enough. You may have an inkling of this if it always feels like it is colder in your home than what you are used to.
One easy way to check the accuracy of your thermostat is by placing a thermometer near or on top of your thermostat. Leave it there for a few hours and then check the measurement. If the temperature is the same then your thermostat is working fine and you may want to have someone out to your home to look at air conditioning repair tricks that can help your HVAC system more efficiently cool your home.
However, if the temperatures do not match then there is an issue with your thermostat that needs to be corrected ASAP or your HVAC system will never be able to cool your home appropriately. There are a few quick things you can try before calling for help with your thermostat from someone who offers air conditioning repair. First, make sure that your thermostat is set to “cool” and not “heat.” Then once you are sure that is correct, look at the main circuit breaker and make sure that the A/C is set to “on.” if your thermostat requires batteries to work then you also may want to try replacing them. While your system should tell you if the batteries are low, it is a lot cheaper to pay for new batteries than it is air conditioning repair so it is always worth a shot.
If both of these things are correct, you may want to think about turning the A/C system off at the circuit breaker and restarting it. Repeat your test of the thermostat and see if it is able to accurately gauge the temperature of your now. If you are still experiencing issues then either you need to replace your thermostat or have someone come out to your home to investigate fully. You could potentially have a short in the wiring or another problem that is much more in-depth and requires a licensed professional to resolve.
Your Unit Is Simply Aging
Unfortunately, sometimes your AC system runs all summer to keep up with the hot temperatures simply because it is aging. An older system will struggle to keep up with the demands of your home, and that may mean running constantly to produce the same amount of air it may have been able to do in even cycles just a decade ago. At this point, you need to consider how much money you are spending monthly on extra energy costs and if it is worth it to try to stretch one more summer out of the AC system. If your unit is running all the time because it is old then it may be a signal that it’s time to upgrade and replace it.
If your air conditioning system is constantly running the best thing you can do is have a qualified and licensed HVAC air conditioning repair technician come out to your home to troubleshoot the issue. The above list is just a few of the many causes, there are many more than an HVAC technician should be able to isolate and figure out pretty quickly. One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth, TX is always here to help out customers with their heating and cooling issues. Give us a call today and we will send someone out to check on your HVAC system.