My central air conditioner runs almost constantly just to keep the house at 73 degrees. Do I need freon?

Question

Or do I need a bigger unit all together? It's going to get hotter and I want to be ready.

Answer 1

A A/C system is a BTU pump which means it removes heat at a certain rate. the hotter outside the longer it will run,  fast check to see how well it works, measure the room temp and the vent temp with a/c running the temp difference should be around 18 degrees. room temp 80 vent temp 62 if it is near these numbers it working fine. most a/c systems will not get colder than 20 degrees from outside temp. heat in the day time enters too fast to be removed. insulation or venting the attic.

Answer 2

That's a low temp to keep your a/c on in hot weather.I doubt there's anything wrong with it at all.

If you have around a 17 degree difference between the supply air and return air(the air coming out of you vents and the air going into your filter),I know that there is nothing wrong with it. Check it out. Good luck.

Answer 3

first of all, "freon" is a brand name for a refrigerant called r-12. your unit doesnt have freon, (it was outlawed years ago as a cfc), however, your unit may be under or overcharged.

second of all, bigger is not better when it comes to hvac equipment. it has to be sized peopperly for the dwelling. there are many factors that go into a load calculation. there are several silly rules of thumb that may still give you some idea as to the size of your equipment. one ton per tousand 2x feet. the bedroom rule, one ton per bedroom. etc....all of these are bs but still, more often than not they are very close as to what a load calculation comes up with.

you have to consider things like number of windows, east west exposures, insulation, and many many other factors to propperly size equipment.

are you getting good, chilled air at the registers? is the air speed good, (should be about 700 cfm)?  if you arent getting cold air out of the registers, you could have a refrigerant problem. check your filter. a dirty filter prevents air flow across your indoor coil.

your outdoor coil may be dirty and need cleaning, (easy fix).

in texas, 100+ heat, i keep my unit on 80ish and it cycles like a charm. i think your unit just cannot reach the set point, maybe because of factors such as bad insulation, lots of windows, high ceilings etc.....GL with it.

Answer 4

an AC will pull the air down to about 10 to 12 degrees lower than outside and that is about all.  So, if the outside temp is 93 and you set it on 73, it is going to run all day.  You sound like my mother in law.  

Answer 5

Depends on how hot it is outside and how well your house is insulated. Is there cold air coming from the vents? If so, it may be doing all it can to keep it at 73. Also,,,,,73 is awful low. I keep mine on 79 and the unit goes off all the time and stays off for quite awhile.