So last year in the summer I had my thermostat set to 75 all day and I had no issues and I recall the system cycling and off as needed throughout the day.

This year, in the past few months, the outside temp here in SE Florida has been 91 high and 75 at night. It seems like my central A/C system isn't able to keep up. I have the thermostat set to 76 degrees yet it usually sits at 80 and never gets below 79 during the day. The system just stays running all day long and never turns off because it never reaches the right temp. Its not a dirty filter because I checked, its clean, and I even removed it completely for a short time to check to see if that was the problem. It wasn't. I took an IR temp gun and its reading a constant 60 degrees air blowing out of the vents.

Do I have an issue with my system or is it just too hot outside for it to keep up? My electricity bill has been through the roof lately because the system is running all the time. Any ideas would be appreciated.

anyone?

not an expert by any means, but it doesn't seem to be working correctly to me..  I know that it will only cool the inside air X amount of degrees lower than the outside air, but your outside temp is not so high that it would cool down to the mid 70's..

Have your electric bills been higher lately? If so you could be low on freon.

Are all of the vents open or unblocked?

Does the air flow out the vents seems to be as strong as it was in the past?

good luck

Brian

Close the outside doors, turn off the bathroom fan, close the drapes, get some fans to help circulate the air and have the system checked by an ac tech.

Would the outside temp matter since it is recycling the inside (cooler) air instead of trying to cool the outside (hot) air?

My electric bill has been double what it usually is.. all the vents are open and it blows as strong as it ever did. I guess I will have to call an A/C tech..

Thanks for the info

what is the temperature coming into the return and leaving the air handler? are all the doors and windows shut?

79 degrees going into the unit and its 60 coming out of the vents (I think thats the same as leaving the air handler, right?) All doors and windows are shut. Looks like you have the right username for this problem, lol.

You are most likely low on freon... or the more expensive option that may possibly be wrong is the compressor.  Get a RELIABLE A/C tech to check your freon levels... Or go outside while the unit is running and grab ahold of the copper lines coming off the unit... one should be very warm so be careful but the other should feel like an ice cold beer... If you do not have a beer can cold line then freon should be the culprit.

I'm not an A/C guy but I also live in FL and have had my share of problems with the A/C.

Check the outside unit and make sure there is not any debris around it or on top. There could be leaves or something blocking the air from cooling the outside unit.  Last year, was this unit in the shade or was something blocking the sunlight from hitting it and keeping it from being hot?

- You may need to have your coils cleaned.
- You may have a hole in one of your ducts in the attic.
- You may be low on freon.
- Your blower (inside unit) may not be working as well.
- Your thermostat may be broken.

im in central florida, and my a/c is doing the exact same thing. i set it for 76f, and in the late afternoon, it slowly creeps up to 77f, 78f, 79f, then around dark, it comes back down to 76f. the air coming out of the vents is around 60f.

the a/c tech said it was normal. no idea if the a/c guy was correct or not...just passing along my scenario.

damn that is exactly the same situation. execpt the a/c guy part, I have yet to get one. i'll let you know what happens. this doesnt seem normal.

it could be lots of things but is there anyway you can post pics or email them to [email protected].

I would have jumped on the need for a re-charge but at 60 degee vent temp that should not be it.  If the exchanger in the house is dripping water and the lines are very wet, then it still could be the need for a re-charge but iif not, the system may not be keeping up.

Make sure the filters are clean.

dirty coils could cause it, as could a corroded condnesor coil can cause poor heat transfer. or leaking ducts, missing attic insulation, or an undersized unit

its funny you mention dripping water because every once in a while I find water dripping from one of my vents and i noticed water around the unit itself...is this a problem?

sure what do you need pics of? the unit itself?

units and ductwork