After a taxing day at work, I returned home to an unexpectedly sweltering house. It felt like stepping into a sauna fully dressed, with a hot coffee in hand. Despite our thermostat being programmed to kick in at 5 p.m. and cool the house down to a comfortable 78 degrees, it displayed a scorching 82 degrees. Puzzled, I began brainstorming plausible reasons why our air conditioning system hadn’t activated.
Perhaps my husband had adjusted the settings, or maybe the extreme heat of the day had delayed its operation. Yet, I couldn’t hear the familiar hum of the AC unit. Refusing to panic, I decided to investigate before considering calling a service technician.
Our two-story house features separate thermostats for the upstairs and downstairs zones. Upon checking the upstairs thermostat, I discovered it was switched off. After turning it on, I heard the system start up, though the air blowing out was disappointingly warm. Assuming it needed time to cool down, I proceeded downstairs.
While the downstairs thermostat was on, nothing seemed to be happening. I tried cycling it off and on again, and finally, the system sprang to life. However, as time passed, I noticed the temperature creeping higher, and the air blowing from the vents dwindled to a mere trickle.
With temperatures forecasted to soar to 108 degrees, panic began to set in. We couldn’t endure such heat without air conditioning. Desperate measures ensued, from activating ceiling fans to fashioning makeshift ice packs. But it was clear we needed professional help.
The next morning, the service technician arrived promptly and swiftly identified the root cause: a clogged filter. As a homeowner, I felt a pang of embarrassment for neglecting such a basic maintenance task. However, I was immensely relieved that the solution was straightforward.
Once the filter was replaced, cool air once again circulated through the house, prompting a sense of gratitude towards the technician. He even set up a reminder for me to change the filter regularly. While there are numerous ways to beat the heat in Chico, nothing compares to the comfort of a well-cooled home.