Air Conditioner Working...But not Cold Enough

[samadams_2006]

My air conditioner is still "working", and when I go downstairs it's cooler and I can feel the difference. The problem is that for some reason there is not enough cold air coming out to cool my upstairs. It's been working fine for the past 3 years, so this is a recent problem that has developed.

I thought it might be the filters, so I've changed the filter upstairs where the air goes into the HVAC unit, and the filter in the HVAC unit itself that resides in my HVAC room next to my garage. I tried resetting the breakers for my air conditioning unit, and I see the compressor fan turning outstairs.

It's summer time, so the temperature can easily get into the 90's. I have my thermostat set for 75 degrees, with the "Cool" selection (as opposed to "Heat"), and with the fan set to Automatic. When I place my hand over the vent upstairs I can feel the cool air coming out, but it doesn't seem to be as strong as it used to be...and perhaps not as cold. As the upstairs temperature never seems to hit the 75 degree mark, the unit keeps going and going and going which surely can't be good for my electricity bills.

Is there anything else I can try? What do I do next?

Thanks Sam

[Art]

There is one thing you can try....

If the filters were dirty and restricting flow they may have caused your system to ice up. That would slow down air flow and prevented the system from cooling.

You would need to turn your ac off for a while. Let the fan continue to run. Your thermostat should have a fan position that allows it to run even when ac and heat aren't running. As the ice thaws out airflow will increase. Once you believe airflow is normal put the ac back on. Give it plenty of time to thaw out. If it works properly it is all set otherwise you will have to call a pro.

[<kjpro]

Call an HVAC company to have it looked at.

It could save your more money than it&#39;s costing you to run it day-after-day.

[John McGaw]

Icing is a very definite possibility -- I&#39;ve had it happen myself when the house has a massive influx of humid air. One aggravating factor, as stated, is reduced flow. Another is a loss of coolant which can happen over several years and never be noticed until the evaporator suddenly becomes a solid block of ice.

I guess that another possibility could be someone messing with damper settings but that seems less likely than the other two.

Defrosting the evaporator is easy but can be slow even with the fan running continuously. And if the house is uncomfortably warm to begin with the time can seem even longer. I could always tell in my installation exactly how the process was going by how often the condensate pump kicked in.

[Joseph Meehan]

First warm air rises and the most heat in your home likely comes in from the roof. Those two things usually mean the second floor is going to be warmer than the first in most homes unless the cooling system was designed to correct for it. Zoning or careful balancing of a properly sized system can take care of it, but of course during the heating season you would need to rebalance unless you have a zoned system.

I am going to suggest that right now many areas of the US and I would guess may other areas, are experiencing much hotter than usual temperatures. Home cooling systems are NOT generally sized to handle temperatures as hot as many areas are now experiencing. To do so would mean more expensive systems, less energy efficiency and less comfort when the system was temperatures were less hot.

If you are like many people the only real problem is in the evening and especially when headed up to bed at night. One possible solution is a supplemental A/C just for that room (like a window unit).

Good Luck

[Jack]

My first guess would be that the unit may have lost some refrigerant over the years. If it was new unit three yrs ago that is a very good possibilty. I&#39;d say call in a A/C tech to check it out.

[Meat Plow]

So actually it&#39;s not working. Call a tech and have it looked at.

[ransley]

It could be many things and a pro is your best option. My neighbor had the wrong filters so long his AC coil was cloged shut, cleaning the AC coil, blower fan, condensor coils, having proper charge are normal maintenance items that can save you alot. I have my unit checked every year on a cheap maintenance contract,

[ValveJob]

Common story all across the northern hemisphere.

With a poorly working system, the 2 main things that we need to do first are to adjust the charge - IE, add or remove some refrigerant and to clean the coils.

When those two are done, then you can look for duct leaks and caulking around doors and windows and adding curtains and not using the shower without turning on the fan to draw out the moisture and bla bla bla.

[Oren]

What floor is the thermostat on?

Say the second floor? It is suggested to check for a large hole behind the tstat and seal it up. Hot air travels down the wall from the attic and it will affect the tstat performance.

Las Vegas had some (areas) 122F temps over the Holiday. I think "official" was 116F. We cooled down to about to 110F +/- .. for the next week.. at 105F I might have to get a sweater.

-- Oren

..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..