Your central air conditioner is pretty self-sufficient. The thermostat sends information about the temperature in your home, and the compressor starts up a cooling cycle whenever the temperature gets a bit too high.
Once the temperature drops again, the compressor shuts down all by itself. You don’t need to do anything manually or make frequent adjustments. It can be easy to forget about it entirely as long as it’s working properly. But as we all know, things don’t always work properly.
What if your air conditioner won’t stop running? Did the thermostat fail to send the message to shut it down? What can you do about it? We’ve got the answers.
Check the Thermostat Settings
A curious child or pet or even an accidental elbow may adjust your thermostat, and you just haven’t noticed yet. Before you start to worry that there’s a serious problem, make sure your thermostat is set the way you think it is.
Change the Air Filter
A thick layer of dust on your AC air filter can make it hard for the system to get the airflow it needs to do its job. This can mean an air conditioner that runs a lot more than it should have. The filter should be changed every month during times when the AC is running a lot. Replace it with a new one if it’s disposable, or wash and dry if it’s reusable, and see if that makes a difference.
Clean the Condenser
The condenser is the outdoor unit, where the compressor and the condenser coils live. The condenser coils are where the refrigerant releases heat and cools down before re-entering your home.
If the outdoor unit is insulated with caked-on dirt or last fall’s leaf litter, or crowded by shrubbery, the refrigerant won’t be able to dissipate heat effectively.
This means it will head back into your home before it has cooled down enough, so it won’t do a good job absorbing more heat. The AC will keep running and running just trying to get enough heat out of your home. Trim away plants, rake away debris, and use a gentle hose—not a strong spray—to wash off the dirt.
Time for Professional AC Repair
If you’ve tried those three things, and your air conditioner still isn’t turning off when you think it should, you need a qualified technician to help with your air conditioning in San Antonio. It could be that the evaporator coils in the indoor unit have frozen, possibly due to a refrigerant leak.
It could be that the blower fan or the motor that powers it isn’t working properly. Or it could be that the thermostat simply needs to be recalibrated. Since you’ve checked the basics, you can rest assured that a call to a technician is truly justified.
The technician can inspect the system, identify the root cause of the problem, and get it repaired so you can stop worrying about your air conditioner—and stop paying extra-high electric bills for an air conditioner that runs constantly!
Our professionals are ready to take care of you when you reach out. Contact Cowboys Air Conditioning & Heating today to schedule an appointment with our professionals.
