It’s summertime, and you’ve noticed your AC never stops running. Here’s the thing: It’s normal for your AC to run continuously during hot summer months. You see, on extremely hot days—we’re talkin’ high 90s to 100s—your system needs to keep up with the incoming heat. To do that, it will run longer in order to maintain a constant, desired temperature in your home. However, if your AC is always running but you’re never comfortable, that’s a clear sign of a problem that needs to be fixed. Here are 4 common causes of an AC that constantly runs and never delivers. Your system requires a certain amount of airflow to cool your home. If airflow is blocked or restricted in any way, your system works harder and runs longer. Common culprits of this issue include dirty air filters, leaky or disconnected ducts and closed or blocked air vents. If your inside unit’s evaporator coil is dirty it makes it tough for refrigerant (or “Freon”) to absorb heat from your air.

The same goes for dirt buildup on an outside unit’s condenser coils. A dirty condenser can block the release of absorbed heat from the refrigerant. Basically, both issues will cause your system to run constantly since it’s struggling to remove heat from your home. Clean the outside unit yourself. Or have a trusted professional do it as part of a routine maintenance plan. You’ll need a professional to clean the inside unit’s coils anyway. When your system is low on refrigerant, it will struggle to reach the temperature setting, causing it to run constantly. You need a professional to check your system's refrigerant level. If it’s low, make sure they find and fix the leak (since a leak is why you lose refrigerant), and then add more. Read more on refrigerant leaks. An undersized AC is like “The Little Engine That Could” but can't. It will constantly run but the system is simply too small to meet your home’s cooling demands. What to do: Have a professional air conditioning contractor perform a heat load calculation on your home to know what size (measured in tons) your home needs.

If you suspect this is your problem you’ll want to fix it fast to prevent costly repairs with your compressor due to frozen coils and constant wear and tear from your system working too hard. Ask an expert or schedule a repair online and save 10%.Is your AC unit always…Is your AC unit always running? Well, you better go out and catch it! Everything has a … Read More10% OFF HVAC…Don't suffer through and August heat wave! Contact us today at or drop us a note using the short … I installed a new programmable thermostat back in December and it has been wonderful. It replaced a (probably) 50+ year old dial thermostat. To my question - now that it is really hot outside (85+ degrees F), I have noticed that after my inside A/C unit has stopped, and the house is at the proper temperature, that my outside unit will continue to run. Sometimes it will run for 30 minutes, sometimes all the way until the inside unit needs to run again, and others it will shut off when the inside unit does.

Any ideas if something may be wrong, or could it just be the newer thermostat cycles the unit differently than my old one? I never had this problem in the summer with the old one. EDIT - Just to get this all in the question: Air Handler/Furnace - Trane XE 78 EDIT 2 - Wiring at the thermostat You've got a wiring problem, or a bad circuit board somewhere. It's possible that the condenser unit is wired to run all of the time, but some protection circuit is kicking in and shutting it down. manually reset ac unitIf that's the case, you would probably have ice build-up on your coils.parts of an central air conditioning unit What is more likely is a relay somewhere is sticking, and remains closed when de-energized. hvac combined unit

If you provide the model number of you air handler and your condenser, I might be able to provide more direction.A cool home is a welcome relief, especially during the hot summer months. For many, it’s even worth the increase in your utility bills. However, an AC unit that’s constantly running, even after your home has reached it’s desired temperature, is an unnecessary expense, not only in utility bills, but also in increased wear-and-tear on your system. So why is your air conditioner constantly running? The experts at Supreme Air have seen this problem numerous times. Here are a few possible reasons: Air conditioners can be powerful, but they can only cool your home so much. If there’s a large difference between the temperature outside and the temperature you want your home to be, your air conditioner will run constantly in a futile attempt to reach the temperature set on your thermostat. A 20 degree difference is all you can really expect your AC to achieve. To relieve your AC unit, you need to increase your thermostat setting to something more reasonable.

If it’s 100 degrees, setting your thermostat to 72 degrees is too drastic of a difference for your unit to achieve. Related Read:  5 Summer Hacks to Decrease Your Utility Bill If your air conditioner was not sized properly, or your home recently underwent an expansion, your AC unit might not be powerful enough to cool your home. To make up the difference, it will run constantly to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. You’ll eventually have to purchase a new air conditioner more suited to the size of your home – and sooner rather than later, as the extra strain will shorten the lifespan of your current unit. AC units typically last up to 15 or 20 years, but after 10 years you might see a decrease in performance quality. A new unit will have fewer problems and run more efficiently than an outdated model. If you have issues with air flow, cool air won’t be delivered properly to your home. If this is the case, your AC unit will work constantly, but accomplish very little.