Reasons Why Your HVAC Isn't Keeping Up to Temperature in Your House

Reasons why your HVAC system, air conditioning, heating, isn't keeping up to temperature in your house. You know, as a homeowner, one of the main concerns is, is keeping your home comfortable, especially during extreme weather or temperatures. However, when the, when the AC or the heat fails to keep up temperature is, is frustrating. It can be frustrating, uh, and also can be unhealthy. And here are some reasons why you could be having challenge. Number 1, dirty air filter. A dirty air filter is the most common reason your HVAC system is not keeping up. It's responsible for trapping dirt dust particles from— it's responsible for trapping those so your system does not get clogged up with those, you know, dust, debris, and particles. Over time, the filter can become clogged because it's so full, but to prevent this issue, make sure you replace your filter at least every 3 months. I would check them every month. Check and change your filter every single month. When you get into the times of extreme heat or extreme cold, the system is running more, and therefore the filter will need to be changed more often. So a good rule is check it every month, but at least change them every 3 months. Also, you could be having a thermostat issue. Another cause, uh, of the problem is a faulty thermostat. Your thermostat controls the temperature inside your home, and if it's not working correctly, it can't send the information to the unit to adjust the temperature. So make sure thermostat is properly programmed and properly calibrated and set. One of the common problems, especially when you change seasons around here, is sometimes you forget to change over to cool from heat. Sometimes you forget to change it from heat to cool. Don't let that happen. I love the auto feature on programmable thermostats. Um, that's what I use at home. That way you set your temperature for cooling and for heating. If the temperature gets warmer than this, the cooling comes on. If the temperature gets colder than this, the heat comes on. But if you want those lights to sit on cool or lights sit on heat, make sure it's in the right mode for what you're looking for. Also, ductwork issues. The ductwork, the duct system is responsible. The unit can work perfectly, but if the duct system isn't delivering the air that needs to go through the home, you're going to have a challenge. Your unit's not going to keep up. So the ductwork is a key component. Um, I tell folks there's 3 components to every system. There's the unit, there's the duct system, which is the air distribution, and there's the envelope, the home. What is going on? So if one of these three are off, you're not going to be comfortable. So the duct system should be checked. When you have to check twice a year, or like our club members do, a duct work is part of that check. What's going on? Is there holes? Have some— is something falling down? Does something need to be reattached? Does it need to be sealed? All that can happen during regular maintenance. But if you're having a challenge, uh, everywhere in the house feels good except for this room over here, well, it's probably gonna be a dirt work challenge. Uh, if you're in a modular home or mobile home and one side is cool, one side is hot, one side is hot, one side is cool, then you're probably missing what was called the crossover duct. It's probably fallen down, something happened to it, uh, it needs to be replaced or reattached. So it could be something as simple as that. Also, it could be low refrigerant levels. Um, the refrigerant, uh, if you have heat pump, the refrigerant is used to cool. Well, if you have an air conditioner or a heat pump, the refrigerant is used to remove heat from the environment so you have cool air in the home. The refrigerant is responsible for that. Now, if you have a heat pump, it also does that in the heating cycle. If you have a gas pack or a gas furnace, there's your heat. But refrigerant is key because it needs to be at the right levels. It needs to pump what it needs to pump in the system. I kind of compare this to, uh, your body and your blood. You know, if you're running low on blood, you're going to not feel great. Um, if your system is running low refrigerant it's not gonna be operating great. And if it's low, it's because there's a leak somewhere, or it could be installation challenge where it wasn't, you know, charged to spec. So check that out. And if you have a leak, some people think it's normal to add, you know, 1-2 pounds of refrigerant every single summer. You know, to get as high as normal. No, it's not normal. It's like, it's like me going to the doctor and saying, hey, I need, I need a, another pint of blood. Uh, I've been leaking blood for the last year and it's time for refill blood. The doctor's gonna say, what are you doing? Um, so it's not normal. Uh, don't think it's normal. So if you need 1 or 2 pounds of refrigerant every single year, it's leaking out. You need to find the leak, fix the leak, stop the leak so your system runs better, so you run better. Again, it's not normal. It could just be an aging HVAC system. I mean, systems do lose capacity over time.. It could be at that point where, hey, this unit worked good a couple years ago, last year, last summer. Everything's normal, door looks fine, unit's doing the best it can. Nothing's really changed in the house, um, design-wise. I mean, the unit's 20 years old. Maybe, maybe that's the issue. It could be something as simple as you need a new system. It's aging, it's beyond its lifespan, so it's time to, to look at replacing that. But those are some common issues to why your HVAC system is not keeping up to temperature.