Why Can’t Your AC Keep You Cool?

Here’s a situation you may find yourself in if you have a home air conditioning system – most homeowners certainly have.

You paid your bills, all the windows are closed, the AC is running – but for some reason, the house just won’t stay cool. More often than not, this conveniently happens in the summer months, when you need it the most!

Sound familiar? Don’t worry, chances are there is an easy fix to this problem. Here are a few things that might be causing problems with your air conditioning, and preventing it from keeping your house cool.

You Might Be Low On Refrigerant

One of the most common reasons a functional air conditioner won’t cool down the house is that the refrigerant is low.

Refrigerant is a crucial component to an AC unit – if there is no refrigerant in the system, the air will not be coming out cool.

Even if you’ve recently had your AC unit serviced and the refrigerant replaced, there may be a leak in your unit that has caused the refrigerant to drain out.

Leaks are actually a super common issue. They are not always easy to spot, and even the smallest leak can quickly drain your refrigerant. To find out if a lack of refrigerant is your problem, you can try to check your AC units coolant tank, or (if you don’t want to get your hands dirty) bring in an HVAC professional who can find the leak and fix it for you.

When Was the Last Time You Cleaned Your System?

Sounds a little too simple to be true, right? Actually, sometimes when an air conditioner isn’t working, all it needs is to be cleaned.

Dirt, smoke, and debris can come in through air conditioning vents and get into the AC unit itself.

If the unit gets too gummed up, parts can get stuck and stop it from working properly. So even when your AC is on and running, you won’t notice any cool air coming into the house.

A dirty AC unit is a problem you can easily fix yourself. Give all of the accessible parts of the unit a thorough cleaning – if that solves the problem, you’re good to go!

Improper Installation

There is nothing more frustrating than when you have just had a brand new AC unit installed, you turn it on, and it isn’t working properly. If this happens to you, chances are that the AC unit was just not installed right.

Improper installation can be an easy fix or a really sticky one – depending on the contractor you are working with. To avoid finding yourself in this situation, make sure that you hire a trustworthy, reliable HVAC professional to install and repair your AC unit.

There’s no need to panic if your air conditioner isn’t keeping the house cool. In most cases, it’s a simple problem like low refrigerant or a dirty unit. To learn more about troubleshooting problems with your AC unit, or to find a reliable HVAC professional in your area, get in touch with our pros at Minnesota Plumbing and Heating.