# heating and air guys - how cold should a home ac blow?



## Mr.Mellons (Jul 11, 2011)

My ac doesn't seem to be blowing as cold as it should. I've got a clean air filter in it, and its blowing about 65 degrees at the vent using an infrared thermometer. Is this normal?


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## RUTTNBUCK (Jul 11, 2011)

Mr.Mellons said:


> My ac doesn't seem to be blowing as cold as it should. I've got a clean air filter in it, and its blowing about 65 degrees at the vent using an infrared thermometer. Is this normal?


20 degrees below the outside ambient temperature is all most cooling systems are capable of!!......I'm sure there is someone out there that knows more than me!!


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## germag (Jul 12, 2011)

That's about right as far as I know....65 seems pretty doggoned cold in this weather.


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## magoo (Jul 12, 2011)

I think I'd be satisfied with that, myself.


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## boneboy96 (Jul 12, 2011)

65 sounds rather chilly!


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## maker4life (Jul 12, 2011)

Check the temp at your return . Should be about a twenty degree difference between there and an outlet .


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## golffreak (Jul 12, 2011)

Ceiling height plays a big factor in how cold air feels coming out of the vent. We have 8',9', and 10' ceilings and the difference is very obvious.


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## CAL (Jul 12, 2011)

RUTTNBUCK said:


> 20 degrees below the outside ambient temperature is all most cooling systems are capable of!!......I'm sure there is someone out there that knows more than me!!



I just finished having mine worked on and 20 degrees is what the tech.said I should expect difference between the outside temp.and the air conditioner.I think mine is doing about 67 degrees.


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## Mr.Mellons (Jul 12, 2011)

Alright, i feel better about it now. I think my filter was just really dirty. It was supposed to be a fancy 3 month filter, but I guess since ive been running the AC non stop it wore out early.


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## packrat (Jul 12, 2011)

*air*

A/C coming in 20 degrees cooler than average room temperature.
Always keep your returns clear of any blockage and filters cleaned regularly.
Otherwise it amounts to pinching the gas line on your car engine.


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## glynr329 (Jul 13, 2011)

I charged one of my units last week both are blowing 60 degrees. That was last Wed. at 7:30 not sure of the temp outside at the time.


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## stev (Jul 13, 2011)

dont know what my temp at the vent is ,but i have 2 speed units that puts it 64 degree in our home all day long .


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## modern_yeoman (Jul 13, 2011)

Difference between return and vent closest to return should be 18+ degrees.  Also stay away from the expensive filters. They restrict too much. The cheaper blue or Green ones are the way to go.


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## HoCoLion91 (Jul 13, 2011)

The cheap blue ones don't filter dust and pollen.  Next time you replace your filters look at the coils right above it.  I'll bet they are covered in dust.  Dirty coils also affect the cooling capability of the unit.


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## modern_yeoman (Jul 13, 2011)

HoCoLion91 said:


> The cheap blue ones don't filter dust and pollen.  Next time you replace your filters look at the coils right above it.  I'll bet they are covered in dust.  Dirty coils also affect the cooling capability of the unit.



Units are 4 years old and squeaky clean.

50 % of the service calls I go on are dirty filters. If people use the white ones I advise they change them every 2 weeks.


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## Derek Edge (Jul 14, 2011)

modern_yeoman said:


> Difference between return and vent closest to return should be 18+ degrees.  Also stay away from the expensive filters. They restrict too much. The cheaper blue or Green ones are the way to go.



This!  We recommend the  blue or green  fiber filters and they do fine as long as they're changed out once a month or as I tell my customers when your light bill comes in.  The pleated filters put too much strain on the unit.  Also, yeoman is dead on as far as the differentials.  We shoot for 16-20 degrees between the return and the supply.  Have your pressures checked as well.  Assuming you have a 22 system, in the heat of the day, pressures should be some where around 75 on suction and 250 on head.  If it's a 410 system then pressures should be around 125 on suction and 350 on head.  Some things you can do personally, clean your condenser coil and the evap coil if you can get to it easily.  For the condenser coil, just take a water hose and spray it off from the outside.  For the evap coil, it's a little more trickier, but I've found that a bbq wire brush does the job pretty good.

Also Yeoman, nice to see another service tech on here.  I go back on call Monday and am dreading it already.  We switch out every two weeks and this time of the year, though I love the on call paychecks, I hate it with a passion at the same time.  Nothing like having to diagnose a bad expansion valve at 10:00 pm.


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