Why isn't my A/C cooling correctly?

Question

I live in central FL, avg temp is about 95-98, in a 2nd story apartment. I have lived here a month and some days and have been having issues with my A/C. On sunny days the temp inside my apartment reaches 80 degrees but it cools fine at night. I have told my landlord and have had the maintanence guys come up and check it out. They both insist that the A/C is fine and that it won't cool because there is a 20 degree differential between the inside and outside, of course I think thats bull and an A/C should be able to cool despite the heat outdoors. I've been fighting with them for about a month now about this and they still refuse to acknowledge my claim and suppossedly they have cleaned the coils outside. I spoke to a friend of mine who is a certified technician and was told that the system probably needs to be cleaned. Anybody have any ideas?

Answer 1

They are wrong wrong wrong.Or just badly mistaken.

The differential they speak of is 20 degrees but it is between the temp of the air going into your return,you know,where the filter goes,and the temp of the air coming out of your vents,you know,the cooler air.Between 18 and 20 degrees is ideal.This is referred to as the split.

Set em straight!

Answer 2

believe it or not, the maint. guys are right.

i am a regional maint. director for a large multifamily housing corp., i deal w/this same problem everyday,heres some facts about a/cs,1.most apt.complexes are the same meaning that 95% of all a/c units are under sized,granted,it may need the coils cleaned,but if you have a 20degree diff.between the outside and the inside temp.you really have a good a/c.,however there are some things you can do to help it cool the apt. better,make sure all windows hsve no leaks around them,make sure the entrance doors are as air tight as you can get them,look in the a/c closet and ck to see if you are cooling the closet and attic instead of your apt. adj. your vents, the rooms that arenot used as much,either close the vent or shut most of the flow off.

don't shutt the a/c off when your not there ,its alot easier to drop 10 degrees than coming in and having to drop 20 or more degrees because you had the unit turned off. its cheaper on your pwr.bill to let it run,the most exspensive time for an a/c is start up.try to keep all your windows covered /w/darkening blinds if at all posible maybe put removable tint on them,the upstrs apts. are the hardest to cool&heat.

apts.are not the best insulated because they don't have to be .think about it,,the owners and mgt.co.doesn't have to pay the pwr.bill,you do.last but not least,keep as many lights off as you can,swap incandesent bulbs for floresent bulbs,they operate cooler and cost about 1/3 of what a reg. bulb cost to operate.also make sure the filter gets changed every 30 days

Answer 3

When your friend suggested cleaning he was correct but usually cleaning means a technician will inspect the unit for potential problems. In your case I think your unit is undersized and not capable of handling a really hot day.

Protect the windows with shades that will reflect the suns heat which in Florida, a lot of people use a exterior shade made from something like bamboo or reed. During the heat of the day, roll it down and then at sunset roll it up for the nice Florida sunsets.

Answer 4

Turn on the a/c system and go outside after 10-15 minutes the efficiency of the equipment is the small copper line outside this line should be no more that 85-90 degrees. If it is hotter than that say 120-140 degrees than the condenser is dirty or the system is old. This takes five minutes and will tell you alot about the system. At night there is very little load on the a/c system and even a poor a/c will cool OK at night. Start with the little line at the condenser and go from there. Most land lords will not spend money replacing equipment because of the cost, they would rather you pay the big electric bill. I live in s fla.

Answer 5

I can't add much to what a certified tech may say. However, temps here reach 95 or so in summer, too (Indiana) with high humidity. Our air condinker works double-time when it gets that hot, and you can still fell it being warmer- even after having the thing checked. An air-conditioner works by removing humidity and adding cooled air. I get better results by using a dehumidifier in the warmer rooms. Keeps the machine from having to work so hard and I don't notice the extra heat like I used to.