Why is My Air Conditioner Constantly Running?

Why Won’t My Coachella Valley Air Conditioner Stop Running?

It’s pretty common knowledge that the longer your air conditioner is on, the more energy it uses up. That’s why anything you can do to reduce the load on your air conditioner will have a direct impact on your monthly cooling bills. One of the worst efficiency problems you can have in your home is when your air conditioner is running almost all the time.

In order to help you to avoid this issue, today we’re going to talk about six reasons why your air conditioner might be running constantly!

6 Reasons Why Your Home Air Conditioner Might Be Running Constantly

1. It’s an abnormally hot day. Before you start thinking that something is wrong with your air conditioner, take a look at the temperature outside. When it’s hotter than usual, your air conditioner will naturally have to run more frequently to keep your home cool. Wait until things start to cool back down to normal temperatures and see if your system is still running constantly. If it is, you might be experiencing one of the problems below.
2. Your air conditioner is too small. If you work with a low-cost, low-quality contractor when your air conditioner is installed, you run the risk of your system being undersized. If your air conditioner is not powerful enough to cool your home, it will run almost all the time in an attempt to keep your home comfortable. Hydes can perform a load calculation on your home and ensure that you have the perfect-sized air conditioner installed.
3. Your air conditioner is aging. As air conditioners reach the end of their expected operating lives, they begin to suffer in performance. When this happens, it will take your system much longer to cool your home than it used to. If it seems like your air conditioner is running constantly and your system is over 10-15 years old, it might be time to replace it.
4. Your cooling coils are dirty. Your air conditioner’s cooling coils can accumulate dirt over time, especially if you neglect to change your air filter or don’t schedule an annual tune-up. When your coils are dirty, your system won’t be able to remove as much heat from your home as it normally could. This forces your air conditioner to have extra-long cooling cycles because it takes a longer amount of time for your system to cool your home.
5. Your fan is set to “on.” One simple explanation for your system running constantly is that the fan setting on your thermostat is set to “on” instead of “auto.” When your fan is set to “on,” it will run at all times regardless of whether or not your air conditioner is in a cooling cycle. In order to fix this, simply switch the setting to “auto” and your fan will only run when your system is actually cooling your home.
6. Your thermostat settings are too low. Another thermostat-related problem is when you set your desired temperature too low. This is especially true when it’s hotter than usual outside. Your air conditioner can only drop your home’s temperature by about 20 degrees. If you set your thermostat setting too low, your home will never get down to that setting and your system will run constantly in an attempt to reach that level.

If you have any questions about why your air conditioner is constantly running, or if you’d like a cooling system serviced or installed in your home, contact Hydes, your Coachella Valley air conditioning contractor.