4 Reasons Why Your Air Conditioning is Not Blowing Cold and How to Solve these Problems

Due to our climate, air conditioning in Perth is not really a luxury; it’s more of a necessity if you want to stay cool throughout the hot summer months. Many of us take our air conditioning for granted, and we may not take care of it with regular servicing at the beginning of each cooling season. This can lead to problems that affect the quality of the treated air and a lack of energy efficiency that leads to higher than necessary energy bills. If you turn your air conditioning on and little or no cold air is coming from your vents this is a problem. In this article, we will take a detailed look at four reasons why this may be happening and offer a solution for each problem.

1. A Lack of Refrigerant

When you have a problem with a lack of cooling performance from your air conditioning system in Perth, a lack of refrigerant is the most likely culprit. This is an extremely common problem that becomes apparent once an air conditioning system reaches three or four years old. At this stage, the refrigerant that was charging the system when it was first installed has gradually dissipated in the intervening years, and now there isn’t enough to run the air conditioning efficiently. Many people believe that an air conditioner cools the home, but this isn’t strictly true, it’s more accurate to say that the system removes heat from the home instead. This is a subtle distinction; the air conditioning system is a circulatory system that gathers heat as it moves from your home and dumps it outside. To work correctly, the system needs an adequate amount of refrigerant that’s kept under pressure to absorb the heat and move it out of your home.

The Solution: The system will need to be recharged or filled with refrigerant under pressure to get the air conditioning working again. This should be carried out by a local professional HVAC technician.

2. The Power Supply is Intermittent

If you have a power supply with insufficient voltage, the air conditioning system will not be stable because a normal voltage is not guaranteed. This is typically more noticeable at peak periods when a large amount of power is being used. This is not really an air conditioning problem at all; the system works fine, it simply isn’t getting enough power to deliver consistent cooling for your home.

The Solution: Contact a local professional electrician and ask them to investigate the problem further. They should be able to identify and fix your intermittent voltage supply issues.

3. The Air Conditioner Cannot Cool the Space

Sometimes it may seem like the air conditioning doesn’t have enough power to cool down a room or larger living space. There are a number of possible causes, the most common reason is an air conditioner unit that hasn’t been correctly sized to suit the room. If the AC unit is too small, it will not be able to cool the space effectively, and if it’s too large, it can cool it down too fast and cause the system to short cycle. 

Short cycling is when the temperature set on the thermostat is reached too quickly, and the air conditioner receives a message that cooling has been achieved. This may sound good in principle, but it’s actually very bad because the air conditioner will be forced to start and stop, repeatedly as it attempts to cool the space. This uses a great deal of energy, and it introduces unnecessary wear and tear on your cooling equipment leading to an expensive repair bill or in extreme cases an entire air conditioning system replacement.

There other factors that could cause an air conditioner to struggle to cool down a room effectively. If the windows and doors are left open for long periods of time, this will adversely affect the cooling performance. Letting some fresh air in each day is a very good idea, especially in the morning before the day gets hotter. But, the windows and doors should be closed when the air conditioning is turned on. If you have devices that emit a great deal of heat, these will also slow down the cooling process for that room.

The Solution: Make sure your air conditioning unit is closely matched to the size of your room by using a load calculation. There are online resources for this, but it’s more accurate if you get a local HVAC technician to help you. Always ensure that your windows and doors are kept shut and that there are no air leaks around the seals when the air conditioner is turned on. Finally, if you have a heat source that’s impairing performance turn it off or reduce the heat to make it easier for your air conditioner to work correctly.

4. Hot Ambient Temperatures

When you need to use air conditioning in Perth, it’s because the external ambient temperatures are too high and they are affecting the internal temperatures in your home. However, if your external air conditioner unit is located in a closed space, the temperatures may be too high for the unit to function correctly. The external unit needs space to efficiently disperse the heat that has been collected in your home. If there is inadequate airflow, the ambient temperature around the external unit will be too high, and the air conditioner will stop cooling.

The Solution: The outdoor unit must be kept clear of obstructions such as plant growth, ladders, fencing, and any other obstruction that could prevent airflow. There has to be room all around the unit to ensure that the ambient temperature in the air doesn’t rise above the general external ambient temperature.

The Importance of Servicing

Regular air conditioning servicing at the start of each cooling season can address many of these issues. A trained HVAC technician will evaluate and clean your air conditioning system to make sure it’s ready for the months ahead. Well maintained equipment works better, it’s less likely to break down, it typically lasts longer, and it’s more energy efficient so you will save money on your energy bills too.

If you have a problem with your air conditioning in Perth WA, get in touch with Mouritz for expert help and advice today.

Jeff Mouritz Gas & Air Conditioning Perth
Jeff Mouritz
https://mouritz.com.au/
info@gasair.com.au
1300 369 690
11 Yampi Way, Willetton WA 6155
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