Cooling problems? It may not be your AC unit’s fault! Check for these 4 problems before buying a new unit.
Is your home uncomfortably warm, humid, or dusty? Does your air conditioner seem to cycle on and off frequently or make a lot of noise? Are you unhappy with the size of your summer cooling bills? It’s possible—but not certain—that aging, malfunctioning, or improperly sized air conditioner unit is responsible for these problems.
Before you go out and shop for a brand new air conditioner, be sure you check for and correct the following 4 possible problems. If you don’t, your new air conditioner may perform just as badly as the old one!
Leaky Ducts
If the ductwork that delivers cooled air to the various rooms in your home has leaks, obviously you are not going to get all the cooling power the manufacturer promised. Not only will cool air escape through the leaks, hot, dusty air from the attic or crawl space will also intrude through the leaks, making your home warmer and dustier. At Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing, we can provide expert duct sealing services that will help improve the comfort and efficiency of your AC system.
Improper Duct Configuration
If only certain parts of your home feel over-warm and uncomfortable, it’s possible that the configuration of your ductwork is not allowing enough cooled air to reach those rooms. This often occurs in homes that have been added onto over the years, with duct extensions that were not in the original design. It’s also possible the ducts themselves are too wide or too narrow, which can affect airflow. Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing’s expert AC technicians can check for these kinds of problems and provide you with options for a solution.
Inadequate Insulation
Insulation isn’t just about keeping heat in in winter—it also helps keep heat out in summer. If your air conditioner is working really hard to keep your home cool and you’re spending a ton on your cooling bills, you might want to have your insulation inspected. It might have become compromised by age or water damage, or it may never have been properly installed in the first place. At Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing we can check your existing insulation and advise you of the cost of installing new insulation as well as the savings it will bring year over year.
Old Thermostat
One final problem to check for before considering a new air conditioner is an outdated or faulty thermostat. In older homes, the thermostat is sometimes located in a hall that does not receive good air flow, or a sunny spot that heats up really fast. In either case the temperature around the thermostat would not provide an accurate picture of what’s going on in the rest of the house and the air conditioner would not be able to keep you comfortable. By upgrading to a new thermostat with proper placement—or even a zoned system that can provide precision control for different areas of the home—you can improve comfort. You can also improve efficiency and save money on your energy bills if you get a programmable thermostat.
If none of these problems are present in your home, we can then move on to providing estimates and options for a new air conditioner.