Dear Corbett: How Long Should My A/C Ideally Run?
Corbett Lunsford
Hi Corbett,
How long should the air conditioner run in a given day? The upstairs zone was running for 16 hours yesterday, and 10.5 and 11.25 each of the days before. Is that reasonable amount of time for the A/C to run given the recent summer temperatures? We are still trying to get the developer in to fix the ductwork, and figured this might be an symptom of the problem.
Thanks,
Graham
Hey Graham!
Great question- your air conditioner is actually designed to run continuously when it's hotter than 89 degrees F outside.
The A/C's job is to both COOL and DRY the air, and if it's too big, it doesn't run long enough to wring the humidity out of the air. This leaves you with a muggy house, where you keep lowering the temperature to try to get comfortable.
So don't be concerned when your air conditioner runs for long periods on hot summer days- that means everything's working the way it's supposed to!
Looking Forward,
Corbett