How to make Air Conditioner Cool more

Question

We just got a brand new central air system put in our house, 16 seer air and a good furnace.

I turn on the air conditioner and set to to 75-78, but the temperature never changes! It was 89 in the house at 3:00 when I turned it on, and now at 5:00 it is still showing 89!

I can veel the cold air coming out of the vents in all the rooms; the thermostat is in the hallway, probably the coolest part of the hose. The living room is hotter than the hallway, and the kitchen is muuch hotter than the living room!

It just seems that the central air isn't doing its job! What ways are there to improve efficiency and get it to cool fsater? If I set the thermostat to somethiung cooler than 75 degrees, will it cool FASTER or jsut cool at the same rate but for a LONGER time?

Thanks

Answer 1

it takes time to cool a home to the set point, and it's more efficient to leave it running all the time than to turn it off and on.  thermostats allow you to adjust the temperature higher while you're away.  

if it was just installed, call the contractor and have them check it out.  maybe they did something wrong and now is the time to make them get it right.

Answer 2

I agree with noitall, leave it to the professionals to find out what's wrong. They're experienced.  

Answer 3

There could be several problems here:

1) The system might not be charged right (meaning it doesn't have the correct amount of refrigerant).

2) the system may be undersized

3) the ductwork could be run incorrectly

4) incorrect design of system

5) dirty filter

6) bad thermostat location

First off, if you just got this done, the company that installed this should have to cover all this no charge (except #4)

so heres some solutions to these problems (numbered respectively)...

1)  HVAC companies usually come out a couple to many times a year (could be part of a service contract) to change filters, check refrigerant levels (called checking the charge), and some other stuff to.  They basically check to make sure everything is working okay.  The system usually wont lose refrigerant yet a lot of them do, its somewhat normal.  however it takes quite a while for a system to do this so if your company just installed it, it SHOULD be good.  Yet, a charge that is too high or low wont cool properly.

2)  Every system blows a certain amount of air and has a certain amount of cooling based upon your house.  square footage, time in the sun, amount and size of windows, etc.  an undersized system basically means that it doesnt have enough power to cool your house.

3)  Ducts run through walls, basements, and attics from the air handler (the inside unit)  to your living space where the air comes out through a register (vent, grill, whatever you want to call it). there are supplys where the cold air dumps out and returns where air is pulled back in to go back to the air handler to be cooled again.  there are several ways to do this but most rooms being cooled will have a supply (maybe not a closet or bathroom because they are small and probably have a room being cooled right next to them but they could still have them).  some companies put returns in every room, some companies put a big return in a central area.  there are many ways to do it but the company that did your house may not have placed the registers in the right areas or might not have enough air going to them.  hallways (unless they are huge) normally dont have supplys in them.  kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms usually get the most air.

4)  this pretty much goes along with the last two.

5)  depending on how recently this was installed, your filter may be dirty.  EVERY air handler has a filter.  some use big huge filters that only need to be changed every 6 months or so, some use electronic air cleaners, but most systems have 1" filters that need to be changed every month to 3 months.  they should be checked at least every month but depending on the amount of dust in your house, if you have pets, etc they may need to be changed sooner than a month or even around every 4 months.  These filters are very inexpensive and are easy for anyone to change.  This is an easy, cheap, no hassle fix....if it's the problem.

6)  The way a thermostat works is that when you set it for whatever temperature, it tells the entire system whether or not to start by sensing the temperature.  for example, if you set your thermostat to 68 degrees and its sensing that the current temperature is 76 degrees, it'll turn the system on until the temperature reaches 68.  So picture this extreme scenario...you have a mansion in southern Florida.  every single room, closet, and bathroom has a supply duct in it.  so lets say you put the thermostat in a tiny closet off of the guest bedroom.  now the system hasnt been started but the whole house is 100 degrees.  so then you start up the system by setting the thermostat for 70.  so air starts blowing out of every supply.  now, its going to take a lot longer for your grand ballroom of 10,000 square feet to cool down than it is a tiny closet.  so the temperature in the closet reaches 70 within 2 minutes yet the rest of the house is still around 99.  but all the thermostat knows is what it senses, so it says to itself, "okay well its now 70 degrees here so its time to shut down the system."   Do you see what i'm saying?  maybe the thermostat should be relocated to the kitchen or living room instead of the hallway...and it should NEVER be anywhere near a supply register or the coolest area.  The thermostat is connected by a wire in your wall that runs to the air handler in your attic or basement.

So sorry for these long explanations.  From what it sounds like i think the problems is (in this order):

#6

#1

#5

#2-4

#6 is a somewhat easy fix, they would just have to run a new wire to a different location for a new thermostat.

#1 is an easy fix, itll take them under an hour.

#5 is super easy, itll take 10 seconds.

#2-4....well, lets just hope thats not the situation...because if it is, youre talking big problem.

i hope this helped.  message me if you have any more questions.

Answer 4

i would check the insulation in your house the Air is obviously escaping sumwhere either that or your unit is defective