Is your a/c keeping up with these high temps?

We keep our a/c set at 78. Since it's been 100+ the last week or so the thermostat is reading around 80 sometimes. We called the a/c guy a few weeks ago when it did the first time and they came and checked the freon. They said it really wasn't low, but they topped it off and said that when it's this hot, that sometimes the unit just can't keep the house as cool as the thermostat is set for.

Anybody else experiencing this?

DH is convinced there's something wrong w/ our unit and wants to call the a/c guy back out - but I don't want to pay for another service call if there's nothing wrong! :x

 

no problem here, nice and cool 74

 

Faaaaaar from being a HVAC guy, but it sounds like it may be with the extreme heat, your unit isn't sufficient for the amount of square footage you have.

 

We keep ours set at 76, but lowered it this week to 74 to keep up with us being in and out often. No problems keeping it just where it should be.

 

We keep ours temp. set at 76 and never touch it. It has actually been chilly in the house at times even with the 100 degree heat!

 

How old is your A/C unit? Ours was the original one that we bought with the house 17 years ago and we had to replace it a couple of weeks ago. It was just so old and worn down that it could not keep up with the extreme heat. Plus, the A/C guy said our old unit was not really large enough for our house, so we got the next size larger. Now, it is cooling fine and staying a steady temp. B-4 we had to get the house really cool in the AM so it would stay 1/2 way comfortable when the afternoon heat set in. And forget about drying clothes during the day, it would heat up the whole house. Now, no problem.

 

How well is your attic vented? Also, how old are your shingles? Both will add to a/c difficulty.

 

Not always the case. Our downstairs unit heats/cools the majority of our home and keeps up with no problems. The upstairs separate unit (same size) only cools 2 bedrooms, a small bonus, and a bathroom and has trouble keeping up in this heat. Arctic Air came out and recharged it about a month ago when it froze up and said the unit was low on freon but otherwise fine (6 years old). Not sure if that is bandmom's situation, but just our 2 cents...We keep ours on about 72 during the day and 68 at night. The upstairs can easily reach 76 when it is this hot. We recently put more insulation in the kneewall storage upstairs and insulated our garage door and it has made a difference in the bonus room temperature. A/C is the best invention in recent history IMHO. :mrgreen:

 

Our 2nd floor used to be way hotter too, til I got a new unit last year (Arctic as well), he put in a new return in the bonus room and I am one happy camper!! Our unit was more than 10 years old, crappy builder grade Goodman brand and had developed a leak in the indoor coil, and was only 10 seer, not really enough for this size house in this kind of heat. I am THRILLED with this new one, and am looking forward to replacing the downstairs unit when it bites the dust. My elec bill is lower now too and we are very comfortable. Buddy is the man!! :cheers:

 

72 & 68 ??? Cha-ching, holy cow batman.

 

It's not that bad! I hate being hot, so Progress Energy may love me in the summer, that's true. We make up for it in the winter when we mostly use our fireplace when it is really cold. We run over $200 in the summer months and usually low $100 or below $100 the rest of the year (spring/fall). I'll take the average to be comfortable.

 

I keep ours set at about 73, and it's usually up around 77 by late afternoon. It did stop working over the weekend and our neighbor came to fix it. He said in this heat most houses are running around 79 or 80. My parents have no problem keeping their house at what it's set to, but with my cathedral ceilings it just doesn't happen. I do remember hearing on the news last year when it was this hot that you shouldn't expect your a/c to keep your house more than 20 degrees cooler than what it is outside. It's been hanging out around 75 during the day since I got the part replaced that blew on Friday.

 

I keep all blinds and curtains shut, the AC is set to 75 and it still gets to 77 or so in here in the afternoons.

Add to that the fact that the darn thing doesn't turn on sometimes, all of a sudden you notice it is hot in here, go look at the thermostat and it is 80 degrees in here - no air coming from the vents - but the unit fan is running outside. So, you turn it off, wait a minute and turn it back on....

Woke up this morning at 6:30 because it was hot in here. Love it.

I am pretty annoyed with my husband right now. I know there is something wrong with it. No, it's not the filter honey. No, it's not the thermostat. Call somebody or I will, and I will not shop around!!!! It will be whoever can get here first!!! :evil:

 

My AC Unit was put in 2 months before we bought our house (around 4 yrs ago). It is set on 76 (wayyy too cold for me but DH is hot natured) and this past week it was reading 81-83 in my house. AC company will hopefully be out today to check it out.

 

mine is set at 70 all day everyday and I haven't had any problems with it "keeping up". Last bill that came Thursday of last week was $188 (about $26 more than it was last month). Happy 'cool' campers at my house. :mrgreen:

 

That's what our upstairs unit was doing. Called Artic Air after 5 pm when we came home and it was 80 degrees up there. He answered and actually apologized for not coming right out then, but he did come first thing the next morning. I was shocked to get someone out that quickly. He recharged the unit and said it most likely froze up, which is why no air was coming out of the vents even though the unit was running outside. Cheap fix, thankfully! He could have told me most anything, so I appreciated the honest service. We will call them again.

 

Got a phone number?

 

Yep...he left a handy dandy fridge magnet!

(919) 796-4681
(919) 320-3391

They advertise in the business directory if you need more info.

Good luck!

 

Cleopatra, I just sent you a PM

 

Arctic Air is who put our new unit in a couple of weeks ago. Good, Honest, Local Folks to do business with!