Difference between "cool" and "auto" with a/c??

Question

my a/c unit was on "cool" yesterday, but the temperature just kept rising, so I switched it to "fan" to see if my coil had just frozen up. I tried putting it back on "cool", but to no avail. So I switched it back to "fan"... or at least I thought! I woke up this morning to a cool house and realized I had put it on "auto"!

so the question is....... why is my a/c working when I put it on "auto" but not on "cool"??

note: there is a puddle of something-er-another coming from the unit, so I'm sure SOMEthing is leaking somewhere.......

Answer 1

I'm not sure. It may have just turned to "Fan" when you set it to "Cool". Mine works that way; yours may as well.

The puddle coming from your unit is condensation. The compressor gets cold, accumulates water in the air and drips it off. This means your A/C is working properly.

If anything, there's an issue with your thermostat.

Answer 2

When it is on "cool" it will just stay that way all the time and keep running and running.  If it's on "auto", that means automatic, and when it gets to a certain termperature in the room or house, it will shut down....not completely down; but it will regulate itself, saving energy until it feels the room temperature go up again, then it'll come back on again.  You should probably keep it on auto.  Window air conditioners do form condensation (water) and will leak water which "should" drain outside.  Be sure the A/C unit is sort of tilted so that the water will drip outside and not in your house.

Answer 3

I am not an air conditioning person....but from my own experience is that when you have it on cool all the time, your air conditioning systsem does not have time to breathe, (so to speak) so it freezes up, therefore causing the condensation to leak out, because it has no time to take a breather.    If it were on "auto"...it would go off and on as needed, therefore giving your system time to take a breather and not freeze up!    It has happened to me and I ask that very same question.     Don't forget to change your filter.....very important!

Answer 4

auto will turn on when it gets to hot for the temp you have it set for.

Cool will keep the same temp blowing all the time.

Answer 5

The only difference is that auto will either heat or cool the house. Cool is just that. It will only cool the house.