Air Conditioner During Heat

Why Your Air Conditioner Can't Keep Up with the 100-Degree Heat Wave:

The reason why your air conditioner (a/c) can't keep up with the 100-degree heat wave will not make you happy. It simply is NOT designed to. We have received dozens of calls from residents frustrated with their a/c's limited capacity to keep up with the heat outside.

Your a/c is not designed for 100 degrees. There is likely nothing wrong with your system. While it seems abnormal for your house to be 77 degrees when it's set for 71, the sustained high temperature outside is also abnormal. Your a/c is sized for what the temperature is most likely to be in the summer with the high 80's to low 90's being the norm for our area. Your a/c is designed to cool a maximum of 20 degrees from the outside temperature. Pretty simple math: if it's 100 outside and your a/c is getting to 80 or below - it is doing its job.

Although there is nothing you can do to control the outside temperature, there are several things to prevent the hot air from coming inside:

• Keep your blinds closed during the day
• Wait until it's cooler outside to do laundry
• Grill outside instead of turning on the stove or oven, use vent hood when cooking
• Set your thermostat higher so your a/c unit gets a break
• Purchase fan(s)
• Do not place objects around the unit
• Don't close off vents and keep bedroom doors open (your system needs to dispense air evenly without too much pressure)

Like any mechanical system, your a/c needs to be maintained. The majority of service calls we receive in the Summer can be prevented with maintenance in the Spring. It still may not make it cooler in your home, but it will at least keep it from failing from overworking. Please help us help you. For information on maintenance service requests, please visit our Maintenance page.

So now you know why your air conditioner can't keep up with the 100-degree heat wave!