Question: My air conditioner unit in my home runs just about constantly just to stay at 76 degrees. Do I need to add more freon? Or do I need to replace my AC unit before summer gets here? My electricity bill was over $350 dollars last month in April!Answer 1 – It will depend on the temperature of inside your home and the outside air temperature and also how well your house is insulated. If you have vaulted ceilings and lots of big windows then this is something to consider. If there is cold air blowing from the vents then it may be doing all it can to keep it at 75 degrees. At times the AC Evaporator can get dirty from use. If this is dirty it will decrease the effectiveness of the AC unit temperature. You can try cleaning the evaporator coil with this cleaner here.Answer 2 – Throw the expensive restrictive return “pollen” home air filters away and put a cheap free flowing return filter on there instead. Those high dollar filters are for equipment protection and are very restrictive.

The allergy catching filters are total gimmicks and are too restrictive for the normal A/C system. will a window ac unit work on its sideOr you can swap out your return grill to a huge size to make up for reduced airflow through the restrictive filters. car ac repair for dummiesGetting the cheap blue or green 99 cent filter is the cheapest way to improve your AC to not constantly run and to improve it’s effectiveness.do window ac units use more electricityHow often to change air filter for your AC unit in SummerAnswer 3 – First of all… The word “freon” is a brand name for a refrigerant named R-22 (Refrigerant 22). Other types of air conditioning refrigerants are called R-134a, R-404A, R-407C, R-12 and R-410A. Also the actual refrigerant that is named Freon was banned years ago.

To be able to work with R-22 yourself you need to be certified by the EPA. (If you want to know more about refrigerant info requirements from the EPA click here) Anyway, your unit is probably undercharged (not enough refrigerant) or overcharged (too much refrigerant). Usually an AC mechanic or tech company will come out and check the refrigerant with industrial gauges for about $30 dollars. Have them come out and check your A/C before you buy a new unit of course!Answer 4 – A bigger air conditioner unit is not always better when it comes to HVAC equipment. The unit must be properly sized for the house it is going to be used on. There are many factors that go into a load calculation. Consider things like the number of windows in your home, the east and west sunshine exposure, and your homes insulation. If you do not get cold air out of the AC vents then you could have a refrigerant issue. Most people cannot check this themselves so it is best if you call an Air Conditioning Technician.

Have them come out and check your refrigerant to see if it needs to be filled. If you are a Groupon member there are usually great discounts on getting your AC checked to see if repairs are needed. You can also check your AC air filter to see if it is dirty and clogged. A dirty AC air filter prevents air flow from going across your indoor evaporator coil. Remember to change your air filters every 30 days in the summer months.Home A/C Air Conditioner DiagramAnswer 5 – If you have approx 17 degrees difference between the supply air (air going into the vent) and the cold air coming out of the vents then there is nothing wrong with the unit itself. It just means it is so hot outside that your unit cannot keep the temperature up. Check to make sure there are no windows open and that any sliding glass patio doors are not cracked open. Another thing to check is to make sure the sliding glass doors and windows in your house have a proper seal. Some seals on doors and windows will rip or come loose over time thus letting precious cold air escape outside.

Answer 6 – Set the thermostat a few degrees higher (from 76 degrees to lets say 79 degrees), you will save energy and money.Answer 7 – If you know the basic workings of an A/C – Take the cover off the condenser and see if anything may be blocking the flow of air. Use a Shop-Vac and vacuum the inside of the condenser. Then spray it out with a water hose. Also you can try this…. If the blades of the fan are dirty or possibly slightly bent then straighten the blades out and clean them off.Please Share Our Helpful DIY InformationForced air heating or cooling air handler troubleshooting: blower fan won't shut off: This article describes what to check if the furnace or forced air blower fan does not stop when you expect it to do soThese same diagnostics also aid in air conditioning blower assembly diagnosis when an A/C blower continues running. We explain what switches or controls may be set improperly or what else, such as a shorted wire, can cause continuous HVAC fan operation.

First, confirm that the room thermostat is not calling for heating or cooling. In the heating season, just set the thermostat(s) to the lowest setting and confirm that room temperature is above that point. In the cooling season do the opposite - set the thermostat to its highest setting and confirm that room temperature is below that point. You have told the thermostat to turn off the HVAC equipment. If the equipment was running give it three to four minutes to shut down. Next: If the blower just keeps running no matter what, there are two places to check switch settings before calling your heating or air conditioning service company in response to a furnace fan or air conditioning fan that just keeps running without stopping: 1. At the room thermostat: the FAN-AUTO-OFF or FAN ON/OFF switch on the room thermostat should be checked. The fan control should be set to AUTO. You can try turning the switch to OFF too. Details of checking the thermostat's FAN-AUTO-OFF or FAN-ON switch position when the furnace (or air conditioning) fan won't stop running are

at FAN WONT STOP - THERMOSTAT SWITCH Other snafus such as a shorted thermostat wire can also cause the A/C or warm air furnace fan to run continuously. Those problems are explained at THERMOSTAT WON'T TURN OFF. 2. At the furnace or air conditioner air handler or blower unit: the FAN LIMIT SWITCH may include a switch that manually keeps the fan running. We discuss this switch here. Take a look at the fan limit control switch. Before pulling the cover off of the switch, just see if the switch includes a control such as the white push-pull switch like the white device shown at the lower left in our photo. Depending on the position of this switch (pushed-in or pulled out) the fan may be on manual override - causing the fan motor to run continuously. Check the printing on the switch face to see if you should push the switch in or pull it out to leave the blower on "Auto". ("Man" or "Manual" would be forcing the fan to run.) Usually: "Push-in" position on this (Honeywell) fan limit switch is for continuous fan operation and "Pull out" position is for automatic fan operation.

There are some reasons (explained at BLOWER FAN CONTINUOUS OPERATION) to leave the blower fan on continuously for long periods, such as to use an air filtering system to improve indoor air quality. And in some buildings we may run the blower continuously for more even or better conditioned (heated or cooled) air distribution. On the off chance that someone has inadvertently mis-connected or shorted fan control wires at the fan limit switch, also check out FAN LIMIT SWITCH INSTALLATION. On the chance that there is a shorted thermostat wire, a problem that can also cause the A/C or warm air furnace fan to run continuously see THERMOSTAT WON'T TURN OFF. Details about the manual FAN ON or FAN AUTO ON switch right at the furnace or air handler at the manual at BLOWER FAN CONTINUOUS OPERATION. This article series answers most questions about central heating system troubleshooting, inspection, diagnosis, and repairs. We describe how to inspect, troubleshoot and repair heating and air conditioning systems to inform home owners, buyers, and home inspectors of common heating system defects.