Your air conditioner should not run constantly, even when it is extremely hot outside. Your air conditioning unit should cycle on and off as you use it throughout the day. If your air conditioning unit never seems to shut off, here are a few things you can check out and do to your unit to get it functioning correctly again.

Check Your Thermostat

First, check and see what temperature you have your thermostat set to. Depending on how much direct sunlight your house gets, and how hot it is outside, it may not be realistic for your air conditioning to keep your house as cool as you have it set. 

If you have your thermostat set to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and it is hitting around 100 degrees Fahrenheit each day, you may want to consider turning your thermostat up and seeing if your air conditioner turns off. The issue may be the temperature you have your thermostat set to. 

Check For Blockage

If the thermostat does not seem to be the issue, the next thing you need to do is check and see if there is anything blocking the air flow around your central air conditioning unit. If you have boxes or items stacked up around your air conditioning unit, move them so that air can flow freely around your unit. 

Next, turn off the power to your AC and then take the cover off of the condenser on your AC unit and see if there is any that has gotten into the condenser, such as fuzz, hair or paper, that is blocking the air flow to your unit. While you have the cover off, clean the condenser. You can use a rag to wipe away any dirt that is present, or you can use your vacuum cleaner to clean it. 

Check Your Fans

While you have the cover off, you should also check the fan blades on your unit. If they are covered in dust, wipe them off or vacuum them. You should also check to see if any of the blades are bent. If they are bent, see if you can straighten them out manually with your hands. If you can't straighten them on your own, you may need to call an AC repair technician to fix the blades for you. 

Oil The Motor

If you have an old AC unit, you may be able to put oil on the motor; however, if you have a newer unit, you will not be able to oil the motor. If you have an older AC unit, you may have to remove a plastic cover from around the motor in order to access it. Once you remove the cover, put a couple drops of lightweight oil around and on the motor to help it run more effectively. 

Once you have checked for blockage, checked the fans and potentially put oil on the motor, put the cover back on your air conditioning unit, turn it back on, and run it again for a couple hours and see if it turns off on its own.

For more information, contact HomeSmart From Xcel Energy or a similar company.