I saw this thread and wanted to hear how everyone else is dealing with these insane temps.
I'm in central Texas (no rain for 2.5 months with a St. Augustine lawn that's giving up), our house is a two story 2200 sq.ft. 40 year old with single pane windows. We have one Trane XR15 that I believe my dad bought about 12 years ago that runs all day (no breaks) and the thermostat is set at 82 - temps upstairs stay around 85 or so. We do have a separate floor unit in one bedroom that helps. The a/c finally starts cycling around 9 or 10 in the evening then early mornings it's taking a breather before the day begins anew.
We had generally put up with or complained about summers in the past, but this one is ludicrous hot.
I keep checking the weather for hurricanes coming into the gulf, because frankly, we need one.

Properly designed system will run nonstop until temps get back below design temp, but sounds like something else is wrong if it can't even hold 82 degrees

I set mine at 71 and it gets up to 73/74 during the day. Its just hot! The easiest things everyone should do is replace your filters regularly during this time of year and clean your outside coils.

Add radiant barrier foil in the attic before applying more blown insulation. Do it this winter, you'll flatten the insulation while doing it, then blow in the new insulation. Reduces heat load into house (preferably you have a ridge vent). Upstairs ac used to struggle in the summer, even with a new unit, but the foil actually allowed it to cycle instead of run all day.

I feel like adding the foil is a very simple job….at the same time I have a sneaking suspicion that it would turn into a giant PIA.

How high up to you apply it towards the peak?

His Trane system is highly suspect for being undersized or having duct leaks as the big main problem here and will get worse until replaced or ducts repaired. IMHO

St. Augustine when green does have a cooling effect to house exteriors, perhaps as much as one ton/acre so kudos for that but the water bill added to HVAC power .... wow.

Single pane glass/double pane glass/wall/attic R-values ~1/2/15/38
My point being that fenetration of any type is a hole in the insulation box.
There are some studies that try to prove shaded single pane glazing is almost as good a double pane when HVAC consumption is bantered about. Ergo, some will foil over fenestration, fill with foam blocks in extreme cases (usually rentals) but certainly install/grow shade for them, exp. on rising/setting sun sides. Shade for HVAC as well.

Good luck.

What's the best way to "shade the AC"?

I bought a cheap canopy tent at Walmart that was 10x10 and put it over my outside unit. On still days, however, it surprisingly held the heat in. It must have been 10-20 hotter underneath it than outside it.

Any other ideas that folks have tried and work?

While allowing the HVAC unit to breathe,
something vertical, perhaps even evergreen, even a trellis to shade

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS!!!!


DO NOT SHADE YOUR UNITS PEOPLE!!!!!!! Your AC was designed to transfer heat to air, a tent creates a trap, hot air recirculates back into the coil having less available capacity to absorb heat, the air takes all the heat it can and the remaining heat stays in the Freon heading to the TXV.

You don't see units in Arizona shaded, many of them are mounted on the ROOF!

If you're really concerned about it and want to do something that DOES help when it's 106 that would be to put a fine water sprayer directed at the coils.

Jabin said:

---

What's the best way to "shade the AC"?

I bought a cheap canopy tent at Walmart that was 10x10 and put it over my outside unit. On still days, however, it surprisingly held the heat in. It must have been 10-20 hotter underneath it than outside it.

Any other ideas that folks have tried and work?

---

Just got the bad news that one of our units needs replacing. Our outdoor compressor has recently started sounding like a chain saw when running and technician believes that metal clippings have gotten into the system blocking the flow of the refrigerant.

I'm likely not stating the above 100% correctly stated, but DAMN, here we go

I'd get a 2nd opinion.

Whitetail said:

---

I'd get a 2nd opinion.

---

Unfortunately I posted this after a second opinion (and 32 questions from me).