Does your air conditioner seem that is not working like it use to? Does your system seem to run constantly all day long? Here is the reason!  Be sure you have done the following:

YOUR CHECKLIST

1. Do you keep your filters changed at least once a month?
2. Have you had your system professionally checked to ensure it is producing the maximum amount of cooling?
3. Be sure to covers all windows and shaded them from the sun.
4. Be sure the weather stripping around doors is in place.
5. Keep all windows and doors closed.
6. Consider adding more insulation in the attic and walls. Consider upgrading your windows to low E tint.
7. Use ceiling fans and area fans as much as possible.
8. Ensure that your attic has proper ventilation and insulation.
9. Minimize cooking and laundry during the heat of the day.
10. Consider upgrading your system if you have an old outdated system.

Air conditioners are designed to handle temperatures of 95 and below, obviously here in Houston it gets much warmer than 95. Systems are designed to be able to get your home 20 degrees less than the outdoor temperature so that means if it is 100 degrees outside you will only be able to get it to 80 degrees in your home in the heat of the day. Your system is doing all it can do. If you have covered all the items on the checklist you may get a little better cooling.

There is another solution which can be helpful in the heat of the day which would be between 1pm and 7 pm.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CAN ONLY BE USED WHEN YOUR OUTSIDE TEMP IS ABOVE 95F OR YOU COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR SYSTEM! 

The ideal solution is to make the outside air cooler which is not possible. You can lower the temp of the pressurized freon inside your condenser by adding a cooling mist of water over your condenser when the temp is above 95f. This can be done with a small sprinkler. By doing this you can gain as much as 10% more cooling in side your home. You will have to remember to turn off the sprinkler!! You may find this worth the trouble but please remember to turn off your sprinkler when temp is below 95f as it could result in damage to your system.

Disclaimer: Gossett assumes NO responsibility if you cause damage to your system.

Technical Explanation

The technical cause of the problem is the Enthalpy level of the liquid freon entering the metering device of you're A/C system. Simply put the outdoor condenser's  performance will degrade as the outdoor air temp rises, due to a higher media/air temperature surrounding the condenser.  The result is that your system can not produce as much cool air inside your home.

    There is some help for this problem, but first you have to understand how  and why the tonnage or size of your system is determined.  Most homeowners want to increase the tonnage of their A/C system to offset the extreme heat, but this is rarely the true solution. It is true that if your home is very old you may have deteriorated insulation in the walls and ceiling, and air leaks around doors and windows which you didn't  have before, thus producing the need for more tonnage but generally speaking this is not the case.  

    In Houston,Texas, the NIC air conditioning code states we should design the size of your system based on the outside temperature being 95 F. If we use a higher temperature you will have humidity problems (which can cause mold problems)  and if we use a lower temperature, you will not have enough cooling. Obviously the outdoor temperature does not stay at or below 95F all the time in Houston. Believe it or not  there are only a few days per year that the temp. actually does get above 95F, and then for only a few hours per day. Your system is operating at an outdoor temperature that it was not designed for and it will NOT provide enough cooling in this extreme heat above 95F. 

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A MECHANICAL PROBLEM.