Why Is My AC Running Constantly in Whitmore Lake, MI?

With the hot temperatures of summertime, it’s normal for AC systems to run more often. More often, though, doesn’t mean constantly. Continuous operation indicates that your system is working much harder than it should as it attempts to cool your home in Washtenaw County or Livingston County to the temperature indicated on your thermostat. 

Perhaps your AC is working hard, running constantly, while more or less cooling your home. That’s not ideal, but it’s even more of a concern if your system is continually working yet not keeping you cool and comfortable. 

When that type of situation happens, it’s time to do one of two things:

• Use this post to troubleshoot your situation to decide if it’s time to call in a professional for an inspection
• Reach out for professional help to address the situation before a potentially smaller issue turns into a bigger (more expensive) one

If taking the second approach, we invite you to contact Trusted Heating & Cooling Solutions online or call our friendly team at 810-355-1669. If you’d rather take the initial approach first, here are eight issues to consider with your AC system.

1. Look at Your Thermostat

Well-functioning AC systems have optimally working thermostats, and, in the best of all worlds, tweaking the settings on your thermostat will help to resolve your heating and cooling issues in Whitmore Lake, MI. Or, sometimes, having your thermostat repaired, recalibrated, or replaced solves the problem.

Here’s something else to consider. Once a thermostat is installed in Washtenaw County homes, it’s normal not to think about its placement. However, ones located where rays of sunshine hit as they shine through a window may not be strategically placed to most effectively cool your home. If you’re going to replace or upgrade your thermostat from a traditional one to a smart device that allows you to remotely control your home’s climate management, get a recommendation about its ideal placement. We can help!

With a smart thermostat, you can decide to use less air conditioning when family members are away at work, school, or another place. Then, shortly before someone returns, you can automatically get your home back to a cool and comfortable environment.

2. Check for Blockages: Dirt, Debris, and More

If you discover that your thermostat isn’t the cause of your AC running constantly in Whitmore Lake, MI, another fairly easy fix involves a good cleaning.

• Is your outdoor unit surrounded and/or covered with leaves, twigs, or cottonwood fluff? From late May until late June, the cottonwood trees in Michigan release seeds surrounded by cottony fluff spread by the wind, and these can clog your outside AC unit. Also, check to see if trash and other debris have blown up against the outdoor part of your system. 
• Inside, make sure that you regularly change your air filter on a schedule that meshes with manufacturer standards. Do so more often if you have a big dog that sheds or a long-haired cat, or if you live in busy areas where more dust is generated. 
• Here are two more dust-busting tips. To keep your vacuum cleaner efficiently trapping dust and reducing your HVAC air filter’s job, use a wet vacuum or one with a HEPA filter. As another tip, leave shoes at the front door rather than tracking them (and accompanying dirt and dust) through your home. 

When you have your AC maintenance performed every six months by Trusted Heating & Cooling Solutions, we’ll take care of each of these tasks and more. Besides helping to prevent your AC from running constantly in Whitmore Lake, MI, regular maintenance can extend the lifespan of your heating and cooling system and prevent breakdowns during the hot summer months.

3. Search for Refrigerant Leaks

You might spot oily residue on refrigerant lines or coils; refrigerant contains compressor oil within its liquid, and its presence suggests a leak. Or you might notice ice building up on the evaporator lines or coil. In that case, this suggests low refrigerant levels. So, if you’ve been having regular heating and cooling maintenance, then low levels point towards a leak rather than a straightforward need for more refrigerant.

You might notice unusual sounds first: bubbling or hissing that’s created by the refrigerant as it slips through small cracks or holes in the lines. When that happens, the pressurized liquid substance quickly transforms into a gas.

When you reach out to Trusted for your AC repair, we won’t just top off the refrigerant and call it a day. Instead, we’ll seek out the source of the leak and address that issue before ensuring the system contains the proper amount of refrigerant. We’ll then run diagnostic testing to make sure that your heating and cooling issues in Whitmore Lake, MI, are solved.

4. Investigate Other Home Issues

Check your doors and windows to ensure that they’re well sealed with weatherstripping rather than serving as another  temperature-related problem in your Whitmore Lake home. If you have an older home, it’s much more likely that this will be an issue than if you have a brand-new, energy-efficient one. As a related strategy, close drapes or blinds when the sun is especially bright.

Does your home have sufficient insulation? Check your attic and walls and, if you have a crawl space, consider a vapor barrier. 

Do you have ceiling fans? If so, make sure that they’re set to spin in a counterclockwise direction when looking up. This creates a cool breeze by pushing air down. Because ceiling fans don’t actually cool a room (they just help people feel cooler while in the room), turn them off when no one is in the room to save on energy costs. If you want to keep a specific room cool, get a floor fan and place a bowl of ice in front.

None of these strategies will replace a well-functioning air conditioning system, but they can supplement its cooling effects and help to keep you as comfortable as possible when you need AC repair in Whitmore Lake, MI.

5. Reach Out for an Electrical Check

Unless you’re trained to work on electrical issues, it’s better to allow professionals to investigate any electrical problems. Issues can range from loose connections to faulty wiring, which can cause the AC to run constantly in Whitmore Lake, MI. It can also lead to short cycling, which is a pattern that causes your AC system to turn on and off more frequently than it should. 

6. Consider That You May Have a Faulty Compressor

When the compressor isn’t working well, your AC system can’t circulate refrigerant effectively enough to sufficiently cool your home. So, the system keeps running to try to reach your desired temperature point. 

You might want to think of a compressor as the AC system’s brain or nerve center. To keep yours in excellent care, reach out to Trusted in Whitmore Lake.

7. Do You Have an Aging AC System?

A well-maintained AC system may last for fifteen years. When was the last time you replaced yours? Could it be near the end of its lifespan for a new, more energy-efficient model?

8. Think About the Size of Your Heating and Cooling Unit

Although this may feel counterintuitive, either a too-small or a too-large AC system can lead to subpar cooling comfort. A unit that’s too small may not meet the demand for cooled air. An overly large unit, though, comes with its own problems.

Although this scenario wouldn’t lead to your AC running constantly in Whitmore Lake, MI, it triggers short cycling. This accelerates the wear and tear on your AC system, can reduce comfort levels, and could lead to premature breakdowns.

Wrong sizing can arise when a former homeowner or HVAC company went with the philosophy that bigger is better, which isn’t necessarily true when it comes to air conditioning. When Trusted makes recommendations for an AC replacement, we’ll tailor it to your home’s

• Square footage
• Layout
• Home orientation towards the sun
• Window size and orientation

We’ll then install your right-sized AC unit in professional, energy-efficient ways to maximize your long-term comfort.

Don’t Suffer. Reach Out to Trusted Heating & Cooling Solutions

When you need AC maintenance, repairs, or replacements,Trusted is the expert choice in Whitmore Lake and the entire Washtenaw County or Livingston County. Don’t settle for less than the optimal solution.

Reach out to Trusted Heating & Cooling Solutions online or call 810-355-1669 for a prompt, courteous response.