If your AC has started running all day without shutting off, call an air conditioning repair company as soon as you can because your electric bill might be sky high if your AC never shuts off. A few things cause this problem, and a clue to what's wrong is the temperature of your house. If your house is cold, the problem is different than if your AC runs all the time and your house is warm. Here are a couple of things that could be wrong with your air conditioner that causes it to run constantly.

1. Low Refrigerant Causes Your House To Stay Warm

Low refrigerant is a serious problem since your home can't cool down without sufficient refrigerant in the system. Plus, if you have a refrigerant leak, the refrigerant level keeps getting lower and lower until repairs are made, and your house gets warmer and warmer.

Laws require that licensed HVAC technicians handle refrigerant since it is a hazardous substance. The air conditioning repair technician has to locate the leak, which can be challenging since copper tubing tends to get pinhole leaks that are difficult to see.

The hole has to be plugged so the new refrigerant can be put in and not leak out. If the copper lines have many holes, the repair technician may need to replace the entire coil system, and that could be an expensive AC repair.

2. A Bad Contactor Can't Shut Your Compressor Off

The thermostat in your house connects to the condenser outside with a wire. If the wire is connected and in good shape, the air conditioning repair technician might suspect the problem is with the contractor in the condenser. The thermostat sends power to the contractor when it wants the AC to kick on, and it shuts the power off when it wants the AC to turn off. If the contractor is bad, it may turn the AC on, but not be able to turn it off.

This problem happens when the contacts in the contactor get heat-welded together and cause the contactor to constantly send a signal for the compressor to run. Cleaning the contacts might be a possible temporary solution, but the best thing to do is have an AC repair technician replace the contactor since it is an inexpensive part.

When the contactor is bad and your AC keeps running, your house may keep getting cooler and cooler. That means you're wasting a lot of electricity, and you need to have air conditioning repairs done right away so your next power bill isn't shockingly high.