We all know that the summers here in sunny South Florida can be brutal. Average median temperatures in the summer months runs in the low nineties, factor in the humidity and most summer days feel like it is over 100 degrees. We get calls almost every day that the AC system in my home is not keeping the house cool. Sometimes there is a problem with the system, but often times we find the system to be fully functional. So why is my AC not keeping up?? There are several reasons that can cause your house not to be at the comfort level you desire. Let’s start with a basic AC lesson, an air conditioning system installed correctly and working properly can only cool the home 25 degrees below what the outside temperature is. That means if it feels like 103 out, at best in ideal conditions, your home would be at 78 degrees. Notice I said ideal conditions. There are many factors that can take away from those ideal conditions. The most important place to start is the levels of insulation that are present in your attic or crawl space. In South Florida, the building code only requires an R-19 valve to pass an inspection. The Department of Energy recommends insulations levels in our region are between R-30 and R-49. You can follow this link http://www.ornl.gov/~roofs/Zip/ZipHome.html to have the Department of Energy help you figure out the recommend R value for your home. Bottom line, if you do not have the proper insulation in your home, your AC system will never keep up. Do you have high hat lights in your home? This is one of the most overlooked areas that allow cool to escape your living space. Most builders just cut a hole in the drywall and stick the lights up there. I have seen as much a quarter inch gap around the outside of the lights. The builders just cover up the gap with the trim. If you have twenty high hats in the house that are not sealed properly, it is the equivalent of cutting a one foot square hole in the ceiling leading to your attic. We here at Art Plumbing and AC have several solutions to these and other comfort problems you may have around your home. Contact us today and ask about our Whole Home Comfort Evaluation. www.artplumbingandac.com or call 1-888-TELL-ART