Had a stretch of 90 degree days last week and my AC unit couldn't keep up

I live in an older house near downtown Phoenix and the compressor just kept cycling. Called in a favor with a buddy who does commercial refrigeration and he said the whole system is undersized for modern summers. Now I'm looking at 4 grand to swap out the unit. Anyone else dealing with older homes that weren't built for this heat?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_gibson18d ago

Oh man, you just described my whole summer right there. I'm in a 1920s bungalow in Tucson and we had that same problem last year, the compressor just couldn't keep up once it hit 105. Had a guy come out and he basically laughed at the old unit, said it was sized for when summers were way milder. Now I'm sitting here with window units in every room because I'm not ready to drop that kind of cash yet, but I know it's coming eventually. It's just crazy how these old houses were never meant for what we're dealing with now, and nobody tells you that when you buy one.

the_kai17d ago

@eva_gibson I feel your pain. Had a similar thing happen back in 2019 when I bought a 1950s ranch in Las Vegas, first heat wave hit and the AC basically said "nope." My neighbor who's an HVAC guy just shook his head and said those old units were made for 90 degree summers, not the 115 we get now. Ended up financing a new unit over three years, still stings but at least I'm not sweating through the nights anymore.