Why Is My AC Running All the Time?

If your AC is running all of the time, it could mean 1 of 2 things:

1. Your AC is working hard, but is actually working correctly

2. Your AC unit has a problem

To determine which it is, ask yourself these questions…

• Is it hot outside?

• Is your AC meeting your desired temperature?

If you answered “Yes” to both of these questions, your AC is probably working just fine! When it’s hot outside, your AC may have to work longer than usual to meet the temperature you’ve set.

If you answered “No” to either of these questions, you could be experiencing one of the following issues:

• Refrigerant leak

• Dirty or blocked evaporator/condenser coils

• Restricted air flow

• Undersized or outdated system

We’ll walk through each of these issues and their solutions, below.

Refrigerant is the liquid/gas that carries heat out of your home.

If refrigerant levels are low, your AC can’t cool your home as quickly as it normally can, forcing it to work overtime to try and reach the temperature you’ve set.

You may have a refrigerant leak if:

• You have a frozen evaporator coil

• Your AC isn’t blowing cool air

• Your AC is making hissing or bubbling noises

The solution: Contact an HVAC professional to check your refrigerant levels. If your refrigerant is low, you likely have a leak. A professional will need to diagnose and fix this leak.

Evaporator coils live in the indoor unit of your AC and work to absorb the heat in your home. Condenser coils live in the outdoor unit of your AC and work to dump that heat outside.

If either of these coils is dirty or blocked, your AC is going to have a hard time moving heat out of your home efficiently, which could be why it’s running constantly.

You may have a blocked evaporator or condenser coil if:

• Your AC is blowing warm air

• You can see sticks, leaves or debris blocking the condenser coils

The solution: Clear away any obvious blockages likes sticks or debris. A good rule of thumb is to give your outdoor AC unit 2 feet of space on each side (trees, fences, wall, etc.).

If your AC continues to run constantly, you should contact a professional to come clean your AC unit. Though this may seem like an easy fix, trying to clean the coils yourself may result in further damage.

Your AC unit pulls the heat out of the air in your home and blows the now-cool air back into your home.

If this airflow is blocked or restricted, your AC doesn’t have as much air to work with, causing it to stay on longer to produce the desired temperature.

You may have a restricted air flow problem if:

• You have a dirty air filter

• Your vents are closed or blocked

• You have a frozen evaporator coil

• You can feel cool air coming from the vents but the airflow is weak

The solution: In this case, there are a few solutions depending on what the issue is. We suggest you:

• Check your air filter and change it if it’s dirty

• Open all supply vents

• Check return grilles to make sure they aren’t being blocked

If none of these solutions work, you should contact a professional. You could have a bad blower motor or leaking air ducts.