Your central air conditioning system has a basic job: to provide a comfortable level of cooling throughout your home. Although you can expect some differences in temperature from room to room based on factors like sunlight exposure, the AC should still be able to deliver a baseline of cooling to all the rooms connected to the ventilation system.
When you begin to notice that some parts of the house are getting hotter than others when the AC is running, you’re dealing with an uneven cooling problem. This often warns that you need professional air conditioning repair in Hamilton, OH, or possibly even a replacement AC. We’ll examine the possible sources for your AC’s uneven cooling and what can be done about it.
Dirty air filter
Whenever your AC struggles to do its job, one of the first things to check is the air filter. This filter needs regular changes (every one to three months) or else it will become so dirty it will choke off airflow into the AC and the rest of the house. If the filter is clogged, put in a clean one to see if this improves cooling system performance.
Faulty thermostat(s)
If you don’t have a zone control system, it’s possible that the thermostat for the house is misreading temperatures. This miscalibration can cause the air conditioner to stop cooling early, and the more distant parts of the house won’t receive adequate cooling. If you have a zone control system, one of the zone thermostats may have failed and has stopped cool air from reaching that part of the house.
Leaking ductwork
Leaks in the ducts of a house will allow cool air to escape before it reaches the rooms. Along with the problem of uneven cooling, leaking ducts will force the air conditioner to work harder to make up for the lost air. You’ll need to call technicians to test the ductwork and then seal up any leaks they find to restore the ventilation system to its proper airtight condition.
Short-cycling
Short cycling is when an air conditioner turns off its cooling cycle early. There are many reasons this can happen, but all of them will result in the AC shutting down before it can distribute enough cool air around the house. You’ll want HVAC technicians to inspect the AC to find out the cause of the short cycling and fix it.
Undersized air conditioner
If this is a new air conditioner, uneven cooling likely means the system is not powerful enough for the house. If you notice that the AC is running almost continually and still not cooling down all of the house, it’s likely because the air conditioner doesn’t have the cooling output necessary. The only solution is to replace the air conditioner—and make sure experienced professionals like us do the job since we’ll always make sure a new AC is accurately sized for the home it’s in.
The air conditioner is starting to fail
Uneven cooling often warns that an older air conditioner is starting to lose its overall cooling capacity. If your AC is more than 12 years old, you’ll want to look into the possibility of replacing the system rather than trying to repair it.
Call Bartels Heating & Cooling “For a Comfortable Way of Life”!