Why Is My AC Running All the Time?
March 06, 2019
If your AC is running all of the time, it could mean 1 of 2 things:
Your AC is working hard, but is actually working correctly
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Undersized or outdated system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.
Rather skip straight to the fix and have a professional diagnose your AC issue?
That’s where we come in. Our professional techs make it their priority to accurately diagnose your AC issue and provide you with the best AC repair service.
Refrigerant leak
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.
Dirty or blocked evaporator/condenser coils
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.
Restricted air flow
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.
Undersized or outdated system
If you’ve tried the above fixes and your AC is still running constantly, your system is probably undersized or outdated.
An undersized AC will run constantly to try and meet demand.
If you’ve recently purchased an AC unit and it’s running constantly, this is likely your issue.
Undersized units have to work constantly to cool your space, which can result in higher utility bills and a shortened lifespan of the unit.
The solution: Contact the company who installed your AC unit. If they sized the unit incorrectly, they should be responsible for fixing it.
In this situation, you may want to get a second opinion. Having an undersized AC unit can cost you a significant amount of money in the long run, so determining the right size now is important.
An old or outdated AC will be less efficient, running constantly.
Due to general wear and tear, the older your AC gets, the more inefficient it becomes.
If your AC is older (12 years +), and you’re noticing other issues or have recently had to pay for repairs, it’s probably time to replace your unit.
The solution: Contact a professional. Like we mentioned above, a professional will need to access your home and cooling needs to determine what size AC you need for your home.
Ready to fix your AC? Contact our expert Florida techs!
Our team of expert technicians can quickly diagnose and repair your AC… and we’re not just saying that. We offer a 100% guarantee, so if you aren’t satisfied with your repair, we’ll give you your money back.
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- Posted in:
- Air Conditioning