Why isn’t the air conditioner cooling?

The thermostat setting is way down, but the room temperature still feels warm. There are usually two causes for this:

1. All thermostats are not equal. Do you have one of the dial types? They are the older mechanical type thermostats that must be calibrated at least once every two years or so. You are better off buying a new digital thermostat that will pay for itself in one summer.

Mechanical or digital – it’s also likely that the thermostat could have been placed in the wrong location – near a heat source, sunlight, or an un insulated wall. This is very common but a problem to fix. Repositioning the thermostat will require some knowledge of electrical wiring and fishing wire through a drywall can be a challenge.

Your best bet will be to protect the thermostat from obvious heat/cold source, and if that fails, then you will need to call in your expert service company to reposition and rewire the thermostat.

This will save you money on your energy bills in the long run.

2. The more serious problem is that your condenser coils are freezing up – this can happen during the cooling season. Try turning off the system for an hour or two (don’t worry, the unit was not cooling anyway!). Turn the system back on and see if there’s cool air coming from the vents. If not, the problems could be a leak in the system, lack of refrigerant, or dirt in the system that’s blocking the condenser unit. This does require a professional, so give us a call today.