It’s that time of year again for me to talk about something we get a lot of calls about. Thanks to the temperatures in July and August, customers often phone in to ask us why their air conditioner will not stop running. And naturally, this is a big strain on that pocketbook. This is happening because their air conditioning system is doing all it can to keep up. But, what we have to remember is that air conditioning systems are built to perform at a certain design temperature. What that means is that if you were to take all of the days of the year when the air conditioner is used and average them out, you would come up with your design temperature. This is the temperature average that is used to design the system that will go into your house. The result is that while it’s running the system will cycle on and off at reasonable number times per day and keep you comfortable. What this also means is that during extreme temperatures, as we normally see during the hottest summer months, we see very long run times, higher indoor temperatures than we would like, and to top that, an electric bill to match.
The next question that usual pops up is, “Well, if the system can’t keep up during these extreme temperatures than why don’t you install a larger system?” It may make sense on the onset, but can lead to disaster in the end. Air conditioning is doing just what it was meant to do – conditioning the air inside our home. This means that it’s cooling and dehumidifying the space. If a system is too large for the space that it services it may be cooled before it has an opportunity to remove enough moisture. This can result in a situation that could encourage microorganisms to grow. So in the end, it’s normal for a system to run longer to keep up with the rising temperatures. So, just hold on and you’ll be wishing for the long, lazy days of summer before long. Well, at least I will.
Thanks for reading,
Bryan
Bryan Hayes, along with his brother Todd, is a co-owner of a Sanibel Air Conditioning company on Sanibel, FL. They also own and operate an island-based electrical service company Sanctuary Island Electric, Inc. Bryan can be reached at Bryan@Sanibelair.com
