Central air question

[Samantha Brunner]

anyone no why my central air thermostat will not kick on most the time? I will have it set at 72 and it be running and will leave the house and come back and its 78.... Then I will mess with it and make it kick back on again and it work for for a few hours then next thing i know i look and its 75 and rising.

I cant figure out what is going on at all please throw a opinion out for me!

Thanks
Samantha

[Jim Sears]

Kinda sounds like it's freezing up. Check the link below for possible causes and fixes.
http://toad.net/~jsmeenen/ice.html

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Define "mess with it". If it means fiddling with the thermostat then I would imagine the thermostat might be flaky. Another possibility is a flaky wire. Freezing up is also a possibility, typically caused by poor air flow.

I would clean (replace) the air filter and if there is a drain line make sure it is clear (suck it out with a shop vac - DAMHIKT).

[Bill Huber]

I guess the first thing to ask is what type is it, electronic or is it a mercury bulb?

If it is a mercury type then I would look at the sprint that the bulb is mounted on and make sure it is clean and air can flow around it.

If it is the electronic type, just replace it, you can get a new one that is programmable for less then $100. They are really nice to be able to set them and forget it.

[Myk Rian]

If it's electronic, change the batteries before deciding to throw it away. Sans the batteries, of course.

[Samantha Brunner]

I guess the first thing to ask is what type is it, electronic or is it a mercury bulb?

If it is a mercury type then I would look at the sprint that the bulb is mounted on and make sure it is clean and air can flow around it.

If it is the electronic type, just replace it, you can get a new one that is programmable for less then $100. They are really nice to be able to set them and forget it.

Its electronic type thats what i do set it and it kicks on about half the time im getting tired of waking up and it being 80 degrees in house.

I will try to replace batteries and see what happens thanks

[Don Jarvie]

Is the AC coming on when its suppose to at 72 and then keeps running and it gets warmer? If thats the case then as Jim said its freezing up. Next time this happens go look at the copper line that comes from the condenser (Unit outside) and goes into the house. If it has ice on it then you need to call to have it looked at. Its either has a leak or needs to be cleaned inside the house.

I had a leak last year, twice, but the unit was under warranty. If it doesn't kick on but cools when on just get a new thermostat and see what happens.

[dennis thompson]

I had the same problem last year, replaced the thermostat & it worked fine . I had an AC guy replace it & it was about $350, (I didn't know what the problem was) you might want to replace the thermostat yourself (Honeywell programmable is about $55 at Amazon) & if it still doesn't work then call the AC people.
Dennis

[Samantha Brunner]

Is the AC coming on when its suppose to at 72 and then keeps running and it gets warmer? If thats the case then as Jim said its freezing up. Next time this happens go look at the copper line that comes from the condenser (Unit outside) and goes into the house. If it has ice on it then you need to call to have it looked at. Its either has a leak or needs to be cleaned inside the house.

I had a leak last year, twice, but the unit was under warranty. If it doesn't kick on but cools when on just get a new thermostat and see what happens.

No it just dont kick back on. when it gets to temp i have it set on it shuts off and then when it should kick back on it dont. I think I need a new therostat