After buying an AC system, you might be wondering how cold can an air conditioner get. In general, they are manufactured to make the interior of your house not lower than 20 degrees of the outdoor temperature.
Suppose you expect the temperature to be lower than that; it won’t be practical, and you won’t end up in the situation you desire in that case.
Well, the thing is that there is a minimum and maximum temperature setting provided for your air conditioner. To know more about this topic and some things related to it, read more to find out.
Minimum Temperature Setting Of An Air Conditioner
The minimum setting of the air conditioner’s thermostat is about 60 degrees. This is because the manufacturers assume that users will not turn on their device if the outdoor temperature is 60 degrees.
So, how cold can an air conditioner gets? Turning on your unit below this point can pose some risks of damages to your unit. For instance, the outside temperature is lower than 60 degrees, and you crank up the unit.
In case the manufacturer designed the unit with low ambient control, then it will not run. But without those controls, the low temperature will make the lubricant of the compressor too thick. Any mechanical running with no proper lubrication can wear the unit excessively, thereby cutting its lifespan.
What I am trying to say here is that you should not run the appliance when the outdoor temperature is below the minimum thermostat setting of the unit. Check the owner’s manual to know its minimum temperature.
Look at the thermostat; you will probably see the lowest, 60 degrees F, since it is the most common minimum setting. This temperature is even found too cold by many. But take note that it foes indicate the unit’s cooling power accurately.
For instance, if the temperature outside is at 100 degrees F, you cannot expect the unit to remove the heat in the house to make the indoor temperature at 60 degrees. It does not work like that! This is where the cooling capacity limit takes place.
How Cold Can A Residential Air Conditioner Get?
A residential AC unit can remove a sufficient amount of heat from your house and drop the indoor temperature by 20 degrees Fahrenheit. You can set it to decrease the temperature by a lesser amount, but you can’t set it to do more.
The refrigerant and compressor that are exchanging heat will not pump the right amount of heat out that is needed to make the room any colder. So on a hot summer day measuring about 100 degrees F, the maximum cooling capacity that the AC can do is to reduce the temperature to 80 degrees F.
But it does not mean that your house can’t be cooler during this time since the temperature inside the house might be lower already due to its insulation that blocks the heat from flowing inside the house.
You should also cover up your windows to prevent heat to get in. Meaning to say, you can still get down the temperature to 78 degrees F even if it is a hot 100-degree F day.
To measure the temperature, you use your indoor thermometer. You should not lower your thermostat setting by more than 20 degrees F. Pushing the air conditioner beyond its cooling capacity will make the unit keep running but will fail to reach the temperature you set.
Just set the thermostat at a comfortable temperature instead of pushing it too low. Otherwise, it will strain your AC and slow down the heat movement in your house. Not only that but it will also lead to higher costs.
FAQs
Question #1. What will happen if you set the air conditioner too low?
As mentioned earlier air conditioner cannot produce or operate at a temperature lower than 60 degrees F. The most optimal setting is at 68 degrees. The majority of the thermostats do not allow you to set it below that particular mark. Trying to run your unit below 60 degrees will damage the compressor.
Question #2. Are 72 degrees considered too cold?
Since 72 degrees is above the bottom point, which is 60 degrees, it is included in the proper functioning setting of an air conditioner. Therefore, this will not pose any issue.
Question #3. What degrees can an AC system cool?
An air conditioner’s optimal cooling capacity ranges from 15 up to 20 degrees from the ambient state. In case your unit fails to provide such coolness, then it probably needs to be serviced.
Question #4. What temperature setting to choose at night?
You should set the air conditioner at about 78 degrees F; it may be day or night. This is a comfortable temperature setting that will not waste energy.
Question #5. Is turning on the unit all day more energy-efficient?
Yes, it is recommended by the Department of Energy that you keep your unit at about 78 degrees F when you’re home. Just turn it a bit lower when you’re out. Do not turn it off during summer.
It’s A Wrap!
Hopefully, after reading this entire post, you have an idea of how cold an air conditioner can get. The unit can cool about 15 up to 20 degrees F lower. However, it cannot do more than that.