Summer is a critical time for your HVAC system. In order for your home to be comfortable throughout the season, your air conditioning and air filtration systems have to be in excellent working order. If it’s not, you’ll be able to feel it and won’t have much escape from the heat. If something is holding your air conditioning unit back so that it has to work doubly hard to create the desired temperature, your energy bills are likely to skyrocket. Texas summers are intense, to say the least. Here are a few AC issues you might find yourself saddled with this summer.

Maintenance Neglect

It’s actually a good idea to have preventative maintenance done before the summer starts, so that you can ensure your HVAC system — and especially your AC unit and air filtration — are all in peak order. If you order preventative maintenance before summer, you may be able to avoid many of these problems throughout the summer. If you neglect it, you may instead have uncomfortable breakdowns and costly repairs.

Can’t Turn on The AC

This may not be a problem depending on the cause, but it certainly elicits concern from homeowners in the summer. It’s possible that your AC hasn’t turned on because of your thermostats programming. Typically, the temperature has to reach a certain point before it triggers the thermostat to activate the fans. If the temperature is just a degree below that, the AC won’t turn on — because as far as the thermostat is concerned, your home doesn’t need it yet. You can fix this by adjusting your thermostat’s program.

However, if your AC still won’t turn on, you might have a bigger problem, one that requires calling an HVAC contractor.

AC is On But Not Cooling

Another common issue that occurs during the summer is AC units that are clearly running, but the house doesn’t feel any cooler. There could be a few reasons for this. First, check your vents. It’s possible that they’re closed, and that’s why air isn’t flowing into the room. There could be a problem with leaking refrigerant or debris caught in the AC unit outside. Rather than cranking up the AC — and paying the cost — see if you can spot the problem. If you can’t, call an HVAC professional to assess the unit and suss out what improvements are needed.

Can’t Turn AC Off

If your AC unit is too large or too small for your home, you could encounter problems like short-cycling or AC never turning off. Short-cycling means short, frequent cycles, as if the AC is perpetually turning off and on. This often means the cooling system is too large for your home, or that air is blowing directly on the thermostat, warping its perception of the temperature inside.

On the other hand, if your system is too small, it may be unable to cycle off, or may have cycles that are too long. Either of these problems aren’t great for your home comfort level, and they’re likely to raise your energy bills.

Having problems with your AC unit this summer? Let Air Solutions in Bryan-College Station with our 50 years of combined experience help. Contact us today for an inspection or repairs.