As an HVAC professional for over 50 years, John Giles of Scenic Air in Chattanooga has heard this question too many times. The trouble is, it's very hard to give a blanket, one-size-fits-all answer. What we can say is a modern-day HVAC system should not need to run all day long to cool a home. In this post, we'll dig into the potential reasons why your HVAC system is working overtime to inadequately keep your home cool during the hot summer days in Chattanooga, TN.
Undersized HVAC System
Though it's unlikely, we must first entertain and seek to rule out the possibility that your HVAC system is too small for your home. In this case, the HVAC company that installed your system was negligent and you would have been dealing with this issue from day 1 of your newly installed system. If this is the case, we recommend calling Scenic Air, or another HVAC professional of your choice to have a discussion. With a few basic pieces of information, you should get the answer you need. Please be ready with square footage and HVAC system details.
Clogged Air Filters
The second potential bottle neck in your problematic HVAC system is a dirty and clogged air filter. The air filter is essential for cleaning the air, but also for keeping the air flowing. What happens when it's clogged up is that the air is not able to properly flow in and out of your house. This can result in a system that has to work constantly, but you, as the homeowner, are not feeling the cooling effects of it. However, if you change your filters every month then we can assume that the issue could be something else.
Leaky Ducts
If you know your HVAC unit has the capacity to cool your home and you've kept up with your ongoing maintenance, it's time to look at issues within your HVAC system. Air ducts have the potential to get knocked loose from pets or animals in your crawl space. The duct is usually custom made by the HVAC installation company. It is possible that the cold air is leaking out of the duct and your system ends up working harder to cool the crawl space and the entire house. We recommend hiring Scenic Air for an HVAC safety check. Our company would be able to diagnose a leaky duct system fairly easily and the safety check is a low-cost way to make sure the system is operating at maximum efficiency.
Home's Insulation
Unfortunately, an HVAC system is reliant upon a home being properly insulated. The HVAC system controls the temperature of the home, but the insulation retains that temperature. We find that poorly insulated homes let hot air or cold air escape the home at a rapid rate. Scenic Air does not offer insulation services for a home's walls, roof, windows, etc. We are happy to share the contacts of our trusted handymen and insulation experts.
Technical Issues
Within an HVAC unit, there are refrigerant levels, electrical connections, etc. We do not recommend homeowners to take apart their HVAC unit or their thermostat to try to diagnose these technical issues.
If you have gone through these potential reasons why your HVAC unit is not properly cooling your home and you still don't know what to do, give Scenic Air a call if you live in the Chattanooga area. We're happy to help you diagnose as much as we can over the phone. However, we have a very affordable price if you need a safety check to diagnose your cooling problem. Don't wait because getting the issue fixed right away will give you the comfort that you desire inside your home, but it will also make sure your system is running at maximum efficiency, so your monthly utility bills are as low as possible.