Most of the country has been dealing with excessive, and even record-breaking, heat waves in 2017, and California is no exception. Some homeowners find that their central air units cannot keep up with the thermostat setting when exterior temperatures soar above a certain point. Technicians from a company such as Cypress Heating & Air Conditioning can evaluate the system and make sure it’s working properly. If so, they can explain why every central air unit is not effectively reaching the thermostat setting during these kinds of heat waves.
Design Temperature
Manufacturers of central air systems include a concept known as the design temperature, which generally is built for temperatures reaching into the low 90s. Once exterior temperatures reach the high 90s or above 100, the air conditioning system has trouble keeping up.
The Problem With Oversized Units
Some homeowners are tempted to replace their existing air conditioner with an oversized unit that is better able to keep up on the hottest days. However, these systems tend to wear out faster than the properly sized ones because they cycle more frequently. They are able to cool down the house very rapidly, so they also turn off relatively soon after turning on. That is hard on the unit. Central air units are intended to run for at least 10 minutes each cycle and may cycle two or three times per hour when working normally.
Effective Strategies
The best solution is to Contact Cypress Heating & Air Conditioning each year to inspect, clean, and adjust the system, and also to take steps throughout the year to help it run more efficiently. Changing the air filter every 30 to 60 days allows the unit to function with less effort. Keeping the thermostat set at a temperature around 84 or 86 degrees when nobody is home is better than turning the AC off altogether. Doing that could allow the interior air to climb significantly higher than this and make it more difficult to cool back down. If excessive heat remains a problem and primarily affects one part of the house, adding a room air conditioner may do the trick.
