Why Isn't My Air Conditioning Working/Keeping the House Cool?

Dawn C asks,

I have an issue with my cold air return. I don't think it's working (or at least isn't working right). My air conditioning seems to run constantly in the summer, yet the house doesn't seem cool. The cold air return is upstairs, in a hallway with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom off it. When I put a tissue near the return and there was no air movement. How can I see what's wrong or who to call to fix it?

Our Answer

The tissue test was a smart move. If that return was working correctly, you would have definitely seen an aggressive pull, so obviously something is wrong.
Sometimes cold air returns don’t use ducts. Instead, they use parts of the wall framing – like the space inside of 2x4s. Hire a local HVAC pro to check out whether this is the case – and if it can be improved. In the meantime, you can gauge the severity of the problem by conducting a thermometer test on those ducts. Take a thermometer and measure the air flow at the supply and return duct nearest the blower. The temperature difference should be between 12 and 20 degrees. If it’s not, your system is not running cooling properly.