There’s a common belief among homeowners that air conditioners have their limits. They do, just maybe not in the way that you think.
For instance, most air conditioners can not reach over 20°F below whatever the temperature is outside. So, if we were to experience a 100°F day, setting the thermostat to 70°F won’t do anything except cause the compressor to keep running, and do so inefficiently.
Another limit is that even with careful, routine maintenance, all air conditioners will eventually wear down to the point that they’re no longer usable. The useful service life of the average cooling system is 10-15 years.
A common question we get, in regards to air conditioning limitations, is “how long should I run my AC during the summer?” The short answer to this is, “as long as you want to!” Here’s the thing…. you can keep your thermostat set to “cool” mode 24/7 during the summer if you want to. This only becomes inefficient and leads to faster wear and tear if you fail to have your system professionally maintained and/or you don’t use your thermostat correctly. Read on to learn more!