Your AC Has Been Running All Summer: 7 Problems We Often Find in August

By the time August arrives in Central Wisconsin, your air conditioner has already put in a lot of hours.

Through hot afternoons, humid nights and stretches when the temperature barely seems to drop, your AC has been quietly doing its job. And if your house is comfortable, you probably aren’t giving your air conditioning system much thought.

We understand. Most homeowners don’t think about their HVAC equipment until something isn’t working.

But as experts working on heating and cooling systems throughout Stevens Point and Central Wisconsin, we can tell you that August is often when small problems that have been developing throughout the summer finally start making themselves known.

Maybe your AC seems to run a little longer than it did in June. Maybe one room isn’t getting quite as cool as the others. Maybe your electric bill caught your attention. Or perhaps everything seems fine—but the system has been running almost nonstop for weeks.

At Badger Heating & Air Conditioning, we’ve been helping Central Wisconsin homeowners stay comfortable since 1994. Here are seven things we commonly look for when an air conditioning system has been working hard all summer—and the warning signs homeowners shouldn’t ignore.

1. A Dirty Air Filter Is Making the System Work Harder

Let’s start with one of the simplest problems—and one of the easiest to overlook.

Your HVAC filter captures dust and other airborne particles before they circulate through your heating and cooling equipment. As that filter becomes dirty, airflow can become restricted.

That means your system may have to work harder to move enough conditioned air through your home.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends routinely cleaning or replacing air conditioner filters and notes that doing so can lower an air conditioner’s energy consumption.

How often you need to change your filter depends on your home and system. Pets, allergies, household size, construction dust and other factors can all make a difference.

If you haven’t looked at your filter since the beginning of summer, August is a great time to check it.

2. Dirty Coils Can Reduce Cooling Performance

Your air conditioner doesn’t simply “make cold air.” It moves heat from inside your home to the outdoors, and the coils play an important role in that process.

Over the course of a Wisconsin summer, dirt and debris can accumulate around the system. When coils become dirty, the AC may have to run longer to achieve the same level of cooling.

According to ENERGY STAR’s HVAC maintenance checklist, dirty evaporator and condenser coils can reduce an air conditioner’s ability to cool a home, increase energy costs and potentially shorten equipment life.

One simple thing homeowners can do is look at the outdoor unit. Grass clippings, leaves, weeds and other debris shouldn’t be crowding the equipment or interfering with airflow.

Cleaning the internal components of an air conditioning system, however, is generally something we recommend leaving to an HVAC professional.

During seasonal HVAC maintenance, we can inspect the system and identify issues that aren’t necessarily visible from the outside.

3. The Condensate Drain May Be Starting to Clog

One of the jobs your air conditioner performs during humid Wisconsin weather is removing moisture from indoor air.

That moisture has to go somewhere.

Your AC’s condensate system collects the water and drains it away. Over time, dirt, debris or biological buildup can contribute to a clogged drain.

A clogged condensate drain can potentially lead to water around the indoor unit, excess humidity or even water damage.

ENERGY STAR specifically recommends checking the condensate drain as part of regular HVAC maintenance because a plugged drain can affect indoor humidity and potentially cause damage.

If you notice water where it shouldn’t be, don’t assume it’s harmless condensation. It’s worth having it checked.

4. Electrical Components Have Been Through Months of Starts and Stops

Think about how many times your air conditioner starts and stops over the course of a summer.

Every cooling cycle puts electrical components to work. Capacitors, wiring, connections, motors and controls all play a role in getting the system running and keeping it operating properly.

By August, a component that was already weakening at the beginning of summer may be much closer to failure.

Some warning signs include:

• The outdoor unit struggling to start
• A humming or buzzing sound
• The system shutting off unexpectedly
• Intermittent cooling
• A breaker that repeatedly trips
• The AC taking longer than usual to cool the house

Electrical problems aren’t something homeowners should attempt to diagnose themselves.

A professional HVAC inspection includes checking electrical components and system controls to make sure the equipment starts, operates and shuts down properly.

If something doesn’t sound or behave the way it normally does, give us a call rather than waiting to see if it gets worse.

5. Refrigerant Problems Can Become More Noticeable in Late Summer

Refrigerant plays a critical role in the cooling process. Your air conditioning system is designed to operate with a specific refrigerant charge.

If the system is low on refrigerant, there may be a leak or another issue that needs professional attention. Refrigerant isn’t something an air conditioner should routinely “use up.”

Symptoms of a possible refrigerant problem can include poor cooling, unusually long run times, warm air from the vents or ice forming on parts of the system.

The Department of Energy lists improper refrigerant charge among common air conditioner problems and recommends having a trained technician address refrigerant leaks and charging issues.

If your AC isn’t cooling the way it used to, don’t automatically assume the equipment needs to be replaced. Sometimes a repair can solve the problem. Other times, particularly with an older system experiencing repeated issues, it may make more sense to discuss air conditioner replacement.

Our job is to help you understand what’s happening so you can make an informed decision.

6. Reduced Airflow Can Make Your Home Feel Uneven

Have you noticed that your living room feels comfortable while an upstairs bedroom seems several degrees warmer?

Uneven temperatures can have several causes, but airflow is one of the first things we consider.

A dirty filter, blower issue, ductwork problem or other restriction can prevent conditioned air from reaching different areas of the home effectively.

ENERGY STAR notes that airflow problems can significantly reduce HVAC efficiency.

Sometimes homeowners compensate by lowering the thermostat even further. Unfortunately, that can cause the system to run longer without actually addressing the reason one part of the home isn’t comfortable.

If certain rooms are consistently warmer or colder than others, let us know. That information can be useful when diagnosing what’s happening with your HVAC system.

7. Your AC Is Simply Showing Its Age

Sometimes the issue isn’t one failed component. It’s an aging system that is gradually becoming less reliable.

We often hear homeowners say, “It still works.”

And that’s important—but it’s not the only question to ask.

Is it running significantly longer than it used to? Are repairs becoming more frequent? Is it struggling during the hottest part of the day? Have your cooling costs increased? Are you constantly adjusting the thermostat because the house never feels quite comfortable?

Those can all be signs that it’s time to evaluate the overall condition of the system.

At Badger Heating & Air Conditioning, we service all makes and models, so our first goal is to diagnose the problem. If a repair makes sense, we’ll discuss it. If your equipment is reaching the point where replacement may be the better long-term investment, we can walk you through those options as well.

Don’t Ignore the Small Changes

One of the best pieces of advice we can give homeowners is simple: you know your house.

You know how long it normally takes to cool down. You know what your AC normally sounds like. You know which rooms tend to be warmer and what your typical utility bills look like.

If something changes, pay attention.

An air conditioner that suddenly runs constantly, makes a new noise or struggles to maintain the temperature is telling you something. Addressing a problem while it’s still relatively small is usually preferable to discovering it when the system stops working on one of the hottest days of the year.

A Little Maintenance Goes a Long Way

Routine maintenance can’t guarantee that an air conditioner will never need a repair, but it gives us an opportunity to clean, inspect and calibrate equipment and identify developing problems.

That’s why we offer HVAC service agreements that include regular furnace and air conditioner maintenance. It’s an easy way to stay ahead of seasonal maintenance rather than remembering it only when something goes wrong.

And August isn’t too late.

Your AC may still have plenty of work ahead of it before Wisconsin’s heating season begins.

Finish the Cooling Season Strong

At Badger Heating & Air Conditioning, we’ve been serving homeowners in Stevens Point, Plover, Wisconsin Rapids, Waupaca and communities throughout Central Wisconsin for decades.

If your air conditioner has been working hard all summer, now is a good time to pay attention to how it’s performing.

Check your filter. Take a look around the outdoor unit. Listen for unusual noises. Notice whether the house is cooling evenly.

And if something doesn’t seem right, we’re here to help.

Whether you need routine maintenance, an AC repair or an honest assessment of an aging system, contact Badger Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule service or request an estimate.

Your air conditioner has worked hard all summer. A little attention now can help it finish the season strong.