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It could make sense, actually. When you wake up hot and sweaty, is the A/C running? One of the things the A/C does to cool the air is remove humidity from the air. When you are asleep at night, and the temperature falls outside, the inside is no longer increasing in temperature, but rather staying roughly the same temperature as the outside. This means your A/C may not be kicking on often (or even at all) and thus the moisture stays in the air leading you to feel more miserable.OK I have a weird question. I try to keep my thermostat set on 75. Our electric bill is really high (around $400+ a month, during the summer) so I tried to keep it on 78 but it was just too hot, and my husband has COPD and emphysema, so he can't breathe when he gets too hot. Anyway. So during the hottest part of the day, when it's around 90 to 95 outside, the house is quite comfortable at 75. However, at night, when the temps drop to 70 to 75, the house is just awful. It's so hot. Last night, I went to bed about 3am, and my tee shirt was stuck to my back from all the sweat. Now does that make sense to you? I'd think, logically, that it'd be hotter in the house during the day than during the night, but the night is often unbearable. Also, logic would dictate that 75 is 75, no matter what the temp is outside.
This doesn't make any sense. Either you got hosed on the A/C unit or you have cool air rapidly escaping the system/house (which could be occurring in multiple ways). I'd also assume your A/C runs constantly and never stops?Also, let me reiterate - I run an extremely high electric bill. It's at least double, if not triple, of everyone else's here in the neighborhood. Now this is a brand new house, only about a year old.
It really does sound as if you have a part with a problem. It might be a leak from where the lines run from your fan into the house, either a leak in the hose or at the connection.Last Sunday, we woke up and the house was really hot. We went outside to see if the unit was running, and it was, but along all the wires leading into the house, they were frozen solid. We turned off the AC and turned the unit strictly on fan, and left it on until the ice melted. Once the ice melted, the air started working again. We had the HVAC guy come out and he had to put in a couple of pounds of Freon and said he thinks we have a bad *something-or-other* part.
Yes, to both questions.Would that have anything to do with us sweltering at night? Would it have anything to do with our electric bill being so much higher than everyone elses?
I'd call an established name in A/C repair and see what he/she says. Because something obviously does not sound right.I don't want to depend on this guy to tell me the truth, because of course he's going to say that everything's fine and I'm worried over nothing.
If your A/C is running all the time anyways, I cannot imagine your bill going much higher. You might also check and make sure it's your A/C causing the high bill. Have you tried turning off your A/C and checking to see how fast your electric meter is spinning, and then turning the A/C back on and checking again?My husband and my daughters both said that it's unbearably hot at night, but I don't dare turn the thermostat down below 75. I couldn't imagine what the bill would be.
OK I have a weird question. I try to keep my thermostat set on 75. Our electric bill is really high (around $400+ a month, during the summer) so I tried to keep it on 78 but it was just too hot, and my husband has COPD and emphysema, so he can't breathe when he gets too hot. Anyway. So during the hottest part of the day, when it's around 90 to 95 outside, the house is quite comfortable at 75. However, at night, when the temps drop to 70 to 75, the house is just awful. It's so hot. Last night, I went to bed about 3am, and my tee shirt was stuck to my back from all the sweat. Now does that make sense to you?
I'd think, logically, that it'd be hotter in the house during the day than during the night, but the night is often unbearable. Also, logic would dictate that 75 is 75, no matter what the temp is outside.
Also, let me reiterate - I run an extremely high electric bill. It's at least double, if not triple, of everyone else's here in the neighborhood. Now this is a brand new house, only about a year old. Last Sunday, we woke up and the house was really hot. We went outside to see if the unit was running, and it was, but along all the wires leading into the house, they were frozen solid. We turned off the AC and turned the unit strictly on fan, and left it on until the ice melted. Once the ice melted, the air started working again. We had the HVAC guy come out and he had to put in a couple of pounds of Freon and said he thinks we have a bad *something-or-other* part.
Would that have anything to do with us sweltering at night? Would it have anything to do with our electric bill being so much higher than everyone elses? I don't want to depend on this guy to tell me the truth, because of course he's going to say that everything's fine and I'm worried over nothing. My husband and my daughters both said that it's unbearably hot at night, but I don't dare turn the thermostat down below 75. I couldn't imagine what the bill would be.
----------------------------I'd think, logically, that it'd be hotter in the house during the day than during the night, but the night is often unbearable. Also, logic would dictate that 75 is 75, no matter what the temp is outside.
We went outside to see if the unit was running, and it was, but along all the wires leading into the house, they were frozen solid. We turned off the AC and turned the unit strictly on fan, and left it on until the ice melted.
When I was purchasing my house, I was told by the inspector that I had the most insulation in a house that he's ever seen. And my electricity bill is usually under $100 (except for a month or so in the summer and winter).
I don't know what's causing your issues, but 75* seems a tish high for sleeping. I like to snuggle, though.
I'm far from an expert on A/C, but I've had my fair share of problems. Please keep in mind these are only things I have picked up on as I've dealt with my problems, and I cannot vouch for the accuracy of my comments.
It could make sense, actually. When you wake up hot and sweaty, is the A/C running? One of the things the A/C does to cool the air is remove humidity from the air. When you are asleep at night, and the temperature falls outside, the inside is no longer increasing in temperature, but rather staying roughly the same temperature as the outside. This means your A/C may not be kicking on often (or even at all) and thus the moisture stays in the air leading you to feel more miserable.
This doesn't make any sense. Either you got hosed on the A/C unit or you have cool air rapidly escaping the system/house (which could be occurring in multiple ways). I'd also assume your A/C runs constantly and never stops?
I had a similar problem (my house never really cooled), and the problem I had was my A/C coil was covered with pet hair, meaning the air running through my house was not cooling very much at all. Is the air coming out of your vents cool/cold? Or is it kind of warm? Do you have strong air flow from your vents?
If your A/C is running all the time anyways, I cannot imagine your bill going much higher. You might also check and make sure it's your A/C causing the high bill. Have you tried turning off your A/C and checking to see how fast your electric meter is spinning, and then turning the A/C back on and checking again?
OK I have a weird question. I try to keep my thermostat set on 75. Our electric bill is really high (around $400+ a month, during the summer) so I tried to keep it on 78 but it was just too hot, and my husband has COPD and emphysema, so he can't breathe when he gets too hot. Anyway. So during the hottest part of the day, when it's around 90 to 95 outside, the house is quite comfortable at 75. However, at night, when the temps drop to 70 to 75, the house is just awful. It's so hot. Last night, I went to bed about 3am, and my tee shirt was stuck to my back from all the sweat. Now does that make sense to you?
I'd think, logically, that it'd be hotter in the house during the day than during the night, but the night is often unbearable. Also, logic would dictate that 75 is 75, no matter what the temp is outside.
Also, let me reiterate - I run an extremely high electric bill. It's at least double, if not triple, of everyone else's here in the neighborhood. Now this is a brand new house, only about a year old. Last Sunday, we woke up and the house was really hot. We went outside to see if the unit was running, and it was, but along all the wires leading into the house, they were frozen solid. We turned off the AC and turned the unit strictly on fan, and left it on until the ice melted. Once the ice melted, the air started working again. We had the HVAC guy come out and he had to put in a couple of pounds of Freon and said he thinks we have a bad *something-or-other* part.
Would that have anything to do with us sweltering at night? Would it have anything to do with our electric bill being so much higher than everyone elses? I don't want to depend on this guy to tell me the truth, because of course he's going to say that everything's fine and I'm worried over nothing. My husband and my daughters both said that it's unbearably hot at night, but I don't dare turn the thermostat down below 75. I couldn't imagine what the bill would be.
The first thing is always to check the filters. If your filters are dirty (especially if you have pets) that will mess everything up. The other thing you might want to have someone check is the valves that regulate the flow of Freon. It's possible for a tiny piece of crud to get in there and clog the valve so that the Freon doesn't flow correctly. That will make the system act like it's low on charge when it's actually overcharged.
----------------------------
It's not the heat it's the humidity....really.
I'd say get a de-humidifier except for the frozen wires incident.
Probable Freon leak.
You probably do need a *something-or-other* part.
EDIT: Listen to Slyfox696....he seems very knowledgeable.
If your bill is triple I would have the electric company come out and track down where the draws are. You might have a short somewhere. If you have a new house the AC should be under warranty. I would check to make sure all the ducts are sealed. My mom had a duct that was open into the attic and she had high electric bills as she was cooling the attic. Check the evaporator coils on the ac unit and make sure they are clean and the airflow is unrestricted though them. AS your unit was said to be low on refrigerant then there is a leak that needs to be corrected. Coils freezing up is generally due to low Freon, restricted airflow, and bad drainage for the condensate water. As far as nighttime temps set your thermostat to just below the average nighttime temp for the season and the ac will dry the air, reducing the humidity.
I'm betting you live in an area with high humidity.
Simply put, the AC isn't working at night because of low temperatures, but what you hate is the humidity. Add a dehumidifier in your bedroom at night, and you'll solve your problem.
OK I have a weird question.
--------------We have had people come out and look at everything, Pirate, and no one can tell us anything. There's a problem with our pot lights (they are using as much electricity as our AC unit, believe it or not, with 40amp bulbs) but no one will fix it. Our builder is a giant dick and every time we tell him there's a problem, he says it's all in our heads.
The AC guy did say something about a bad evaporator something or other, and it's on order. Could that have anything to do with our electric bill? The unit is still under warranty.
We buy filters in bulk, and change them every 30 days. QUOTE]
Where do you live, in the dust bowl ? Most of todays filters you just wash them with a garden hose and let them dry out and put them back in. Usually twice a year is the norm.
If you had to recharge the refrigerant (freon is no longer PC and illegal in most states) and the AC unit is only a year old, sounds like a micro leak. Usually if there's a leak it all goes real quick. But that doesn't sound right having to recharge the refrigerant on a AC unit only a year old.
We have had people come out and look at everything, Pirate, and no one can tell us anything. There's a problem with our pot lights (they are using as much electricity as our AC unit, believe it or not, with 40amp bulbs) but no one will fix it. Our builder is a giant dick and every time we tell him there's a problem, he says it's all in our heads.
The AC guy did say something about a bad evaporator something or other, and it's on order. Could that have anything to do with our electric bill? The unit is still under warranty.
--------------
Hmmm...the pot thickens....ooops.....I mean the plot thickens.
40amp bulbs translate to 4400 watt bulbs.
Those are really big bulbs.
Are you sure about your bulb size?
It's not a weird question but there are so many things it could be. Dirty filters, insufficient insulation in the attic and walls. A/C unit not large enough to handle the sq. ft. of your home. Electrician not running the proper gauge wiring to the unit. And voltage drop would cause your compressor to over work and ice up.
So the questions are, where do you live ?
What's the outside humidity ?
Is your home custom built of a tract home ?
If it's a tact home are any of your neighbors experiencing the same thing ?
The HVAC contractor could have cut corners just to save a buck and undersized your AC. So need to know how many tons is your AC and how many sq. ft. is your home ?
Not uncommon for homes to heat up at night during hot weather after the sun goes down. This is caused from insufficient insulation in the attic. If you have a flat roof with no attic, you got problems. Only solution run sprinklers on the roof in the afternoon and evenings.
If the home is only a year old, it should still be under a warranty.
But I would start with the filters, washing the compressor with a hose and using a multi meter and reading the voltage and how many amps the unit is drawing and seeing if the wiring is properly sized. If the wiring isn't properly sized, the unit is going to over work itself and ice up or burn up.
--------------
Hmmm...the pot thickens....ooops.....I mean the plot thickens.
40amp bulbs translate to 4400 watt bulbs.
Those are really big bulbs.
Are you sure about your bulb size?
That said, try a fan at night and see if that helps before you go drop $300.00 on a dehumidifier. I know I can sleep with a fan on me when it is 105 as well as I can with AC when it is 75. During the hot part of the year we usually keep the upstairs about 65 at night and 73 during the day (we have two units--a smaller one for the upstairs bedrooms and the big one for the main floor/basement. There are other options that might help cut your bill, but it might require more effort and expense than you are willing to try--like a window unit just in your bedroom or a portable AC. I think I have seen those for about the same price at places like Lowe's for about the same price as a dehumidifier. If you are not there all day, you could try a programmable thermostat.
We buy filters in bulk, and change them every 30 days.
Where do you live, in the dust bowl ? Most of todays filters you just wash them with a garden hose and let them dry out and put them back in. Usually twice a year is the norm.
If you had to recharge the refrigerant (freon is no longer PC and illegal in most states) and the AC unit is only a year old, sounds like a micro leak. Usually if there's a leak it all goes real quick. But that doesn't sound right having to recharge the refrigerant on a AC unit only a year old.
-------------No, I'm not. I'm sorry LOL. I meant 40 watt. I had Georgia Power on the phone asking them about the bulbs. We took one out of the pot light, and it said something like 120V bulb and she said that was the equivalent of a 40 watt bulb.
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