We all know these past few days it’s been hot in the Wilmington NC area. Not just hot, but extremely hot. With the heat comes the flood of phone calls. Questions and concerns regarding if the air conditioning is working properly. There are different tips and things to check to ensure that it is running at its best. At the same time you need realize as the temperature rises above 90⁰, your system will not be able to keep up as well. Here are some frequent conversations we’ve been having throughout this heat wave with our customers about if their air conditioning is working properly.
Common Phone Calls Received Regarding if Your Air Conditioning is Working Properly:
“My thermostat is set to 72⁰ but it is only reaching 78⁰.”
If it is 90⁰ outside, your air conditioning system will not be able to reach 72⁰. Do your system a favor. If it is above 90⁰ outside, raise your indoor temperature to a more reasonable set point of 75⁰ or above. If your set temperature is only a few degrees off from what the temperature is, your system is doing all it can do. As it reaches 95-100⁰ outside like it has been the past few days, your system is working hard to keep your house as cool as possible. However, it might be only able to reach 78-79⁰. So if your temperature is just a few degrees off, your system is doing all it can.
“How can I tell if something is really wrong with my system, or if it is running as best it can in this heat?”
Monitoring the temperatures is the best way to tell in this heat if your system air conditioning is working properly. During the day as mentioned above, your heat pump will try it’s best to keep up. But, will most likely not be able to reach the set point on your thermostat. As the sun goes down and the temperature outside drops, so should your indoor temperature. It might not be a dramatic drop. Though, even a degree or two drop will show that your air conditioning is working properly. If the indoor temperature doesn’t drop, if you hear any noises from your system, or if the temperature in your home is more than a few degrees (5-6) different from what it is set to, then you should give us a call!
“My HVAC system has been running non-stop!”
If your system is running non-stop in 90⁰+ heat you should not be alarmed. It just means it is working hard to keep up. Therefore, by raising your indoor temperature on your thermostat like mentioned before, it could help to give your system a much needed rest. If it is 100⁰ outside and your thermostat is set to 72⁰, your system will not be able to reach this temperature. However, it will run all day trying to though. So help your system out and raise your set point to at least 75⁰!
We hope that these answers to common questions and concerns were helpful to determine if your air conditioning is running properly. These are the main tips to take away. Don’t set your thermostat set point too low. If the degrees are only a few off from your set point and the actual indoor temperature don’t be alarmed. As long as it drops when the outdoor temperature does. If you still have questions or think that there might be a problem, please give us call! We hope this helps. And, you can now determine if your air conditioning is working properly in the extreme heat.
