Why Your AC Is Running But Not Cooling Your Home in Florida
Why Your AC Is Running But Not Cooling Your Home in Florida
Your air conditioner has started. You may hear it humming along. The outside unit is working as usual. It is 78°F, 79°F, and it is probably 80°F in your Florida home—and it is just going to get hotter. You have switched the thermostat three times. You’ve inspected the vents. Nothing is working.
It is 2 PM on the afternoon of August 1st. You’re sweating. Your family is queasy. And you are going to invite someone to your assistance.
And, in case this rings true to you right away, then you are not alone. This is among the most prevalent AC issues that we resolve in Florida, and it is harsh in our state, specifically due to the brutality. The positive news is that there is nearly always a solution that can fix your system that is not cooling or is not even running. We should have a walk around and see what is going on and how to alleviate it.
The reason why Florida is the perfect storm when it comes to AC problems
The climate of Florida is especially brutal to air conditioner systems. Not that it is merely hot, but heat and humidity, coupled with the fact that the cooling services have to run throughout the entire year, make the problem of cooling failures very widespread here.
In other parts of the country, a majority of the AC systems lie idle for half a year. They are allowed a holiday in the fall and winter. But in Florida? Your system runs 12 months a year. Other house owners operate their air conditioning as late as December and January. Meanwhile, that means that your AC practically has no rest.
And add to that the tropical humidity of Florida. It is working twice as hard as a system in Arizona or Nevada when your air conditioner is dehumidifying your house. The amount of moisture in the air also adds water vapor to be extracted by your AC, as well as cooling down the temperature. That is more work, more wear, and more things to go wrong.
The outcome: Florida air conditioning systems have the highest failure rates and failure rates in the country. This 12-month run time, along with a humid environment, is such that parts deteriorate fast and issues arise unpredictably.
This is why there is a possibility that your AC is not cooling when turned on. That is also why going to a professional is a good idea, as you do not realize the problem most of the time, making a wrong guess means that you have to waste time that cannot be afforded. Know the most common AC problems.
The best mechanical reasons why your AC is turning on and not creating a cooling effect.
When we receive a call from a homeowner who says that his AC is running but is not cooling, we usually discover one of four issues. Let’s go through each one.
Dirty Condenser Coils
In your outside AC unit, there is the condenser coil that expels the heat that was in the home to the outside. When this coil becomes filled with dirt, pollen, leaves, grass clippings, and other debris, your system is unable to perform.
This occurs quickly in Florida. The valid reason is that, because of our sandy soil, thunderstorms in the afternoon, and a year-long growing season, the debris always builds up around the outside unit. What could be a clean system in May could be totally clogged in July.
With dirty condenser coils, the refrigerant flow in the condenser coils is unable to release heat. The refrigerant that is being pumped into your system keeps being pressurized, but nothing is cooling your house. You can hear the unit at work, but the magic is not being done.
It is often easy to fix: a professional cleaning. But it must be properly done, with proper tools and pains. Here you can destroy the fins with the pressure washing in case you apply excessive pressure.
Low Refrigerant
The lifeblood of your air conditioning system is refrigerant. It is what truly captures heat in your house and heats it up outside your home. As the level of refrigerant decreases, so does the cooling capacity.
This is the key thing: refrigerant does not deplete, similar to gas in a car. The amount of refrigerant in your system should remain the same throughout its life. You have a leak in case you are short of refrigerant.
Florida has low refrigerant due to the pressure and temperature extremes that your system holds all year round. Connections loosen. Seals fail. Leaks develop, small at the joints and fittings.
When your AC runs without cooling, and you have little refrigerant, it can take you many hours to cool down, yet you have little to no refrigerant that helps in making any change inside your house. You can feel the heat in the vents, which is hardly cool. It could be the room temperature or only slightly colder.
It requires a professional to locate and seal the leak and refill the system. Unless the leak is fixed, a few months later, the same issue will occur again.
Failing Capacitor
The capacitor is a little yet significant device that provides your AC system with the electric vitality essential to operate. As a capacitor begins to fail, your compressor will not start correctly, and it will have difficulty compressing the refrigerant efficiently.
The capacitor may fail to completely put a stop to running the system, but rather it puts a stop to it with feeble results. You can find the outdoor unit shaking or humming, but not booting. It may sometimes be on and off rather than being on continuously.
This happens to be one of the most prevalent failures evidenced in Florida and most particularly in systems that are five years or older. The constant operation stress and excessive heat in this area oppose capacitors at a faster rate.
The solution is simple: replace the capacitor. However, it needs a skilled technician since capacitors are cases of storing electrical charge and may be hazardous to touch.
Frozen Evaporator Coil
It just appears to be counterintuitive in Florida, but it occurs more frequently than one might imagine. Your evaporator coil refers to the device that is located inside your house (typically either in your attic or furnace cabinet) and that absorbs the heat of your indoor air.
When air moving over this coil is limited by a dirty air filter, blocked vents, or a failed blower motor, the temperature of this coil may drop below the freezing point. During the ice formation, more airflow is blocked by ice on the coil. And, at last, hardly any cool air enters your house.
It may be evident that there is frost or ice produced along refrigerant lines out of your inside unit. Or you may be finding water around the unit as there is melting ice. This build-up of water occurs fast in Florida, and due to the humid climate, ceilings and insulation could be affected in cases when the water goes uncontrolled.
This occurs more in Florida than in drier climates since our high moisture content implies that there is more moisture in the atmosphere to freeze on the low ice coil. The fact that AC systems are used throughout the year also implies that they do not have any off periods to afford a system reset.
This needs expert diagnosis and remedy, as the fix will depend on what restricts the airflow in the first place.
The Humidity Problem: Your System is the Wrong One for Your Home
This is one of the situations that we can observe in Florida all the time: you have the AC on, it cools, but still, your house does not feel dry. It is 74o F indoors, but it is sticky and uncomfortable. The dampness is stifling.
This normally indicates that your air conditioning system is excessively large for your house.
A size too big prevents the cooling of your home from cooling as fast. The temperature becomes the same as your set point, and hence the system is turned off. Nevertheless, it has not been in operation long enough to get the moisture out of the air. This way, your house will be heated to the appropriate temperature without being dry.
Then it starts again; the system kicks back on. This switch-back cycling is referred to as “short-cycling,” and it implies that your system does not have enough time to run properly to be able to dehumidify.
Florida residents should have AC systems that are capable of running longer and at a lower capacity so that they can help to remove moisture. The peak heat conditions size can do poorly the rest of the year due to this short-cycling problem.
When this is happening to you, it is not typically a mechanical problem; most likely, you have just undersized your system. Why not have your system assessed right through a professional assessment that will declare whether your system is right or not suitable in your home?
Homemade Check WRIGHT NOW!
The following are some of the tests that you can carry out yourself before calling a technician:
Visually inspect your air filter. The air filter may block the air and can significantly slow air flow. Check your air filter: when you are no longer able to see through it, change it. In two minutes, this can be a remedy to fix the entire situation.
Check your outside unit. Is it noticeably dirty? Does it have leaves and debris upon it? In that case, evacuate the surroundings of the unit. You may find the gunk on the fins. Thoroughly clear whatever you can, but do not use a pressure washer.
Determine the refrigerant lines. The wide (greater than 6-inch) line exiting your outside unit must be chilled (approximately 40-50 F). The smaller line ought to be quite cold. A diagnostic clue is when the little line is not cold or when frost appears on either of the lines.
Check your thermostat. Ensure that it is in a cooling mode and your desired temperature is less than the temperature of the inside environment. It is a simple thing, but this is what we consider to be the problem, sometimes.
Confirm operation of the outdoor unit. Ex outside and here. You can hear the fan running and the compressor. When the outside unit makes no sound, something is amiss with the electricity.
Contacting Air and Aero When?
When you have performed those checks and still cannot cool your system, then you need to call in an expert. Here’s why:
In Florida, the majority of AC issues demand specific equipment, training, and components. The law does not allow refrigerant work: it must be done by certified technicians. Electrical diagnostics need good test equipment. The failure of compressors needs experience in order to be verified and repaired properly.
More to the point, when you are in an emergency with an August heat, and your family is not at ease, you need someone who can not only be able to diagnose the issue but also fix it on the same day. There is no time to wait when the temperature is on the rise, and people cannot stay inside as it gets too hot, particularly in the case of young children, aging family members, or a person with a chronic disease.
Air and Aero is a longstanding company that is solving issues in AC in Florida. We are aware of the special difficulties of the cooling system in tropical and humid climates, with the air conditioning requirement throughout the year. We can determine the reason your system is not cooling but running, remedy the situation, and have your home cool within a few hours, not days.
Our customers can have an emergency same-day cooling service, as we understand that when your air conditioner stops working in August, hours can save lives. All major brands and systems are taught to our technicians. We work with quality components and guarantee customer satisfaction with our work.
There is no use wasting time when you think your AC is on but not cooling. Contact Air and Aero to get a diagnosis. We will locate the issue, clarify your alternatives, and relieve you in a short time.
Your Florida summer doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. Does your system need some tuning? GET it working today,–call now.