There are many reasons why your air condition unit might develop return air problems. Before you go any further you should determine that your air condition is in fact the correct size for your home and then you can start looking at possibilities why your air condition is experiencing return air problems.
Assuming that your air condition unit was installed by a professional and that it was working properly when you first had it installed, well it is safe to assume that something has gone wrong and it is causing your air condition to malfunction.
You can start by doing some routine maintenance checks, such as checking that the coils and filters are clean and that air is able to flow through them without any obstruction.
Note that if the coils or filters are clogged from dust and dirt then air will not be able to pass through freely and this can cause the air condition to malfunction. With that out of the way it is now time for you to check the air ducts installed in your home, leaking ducts can reduce the performance of your air condition unit.
You will have to locate all the air ducts in your home and examine each one thoroughly for leaks, should you discover a leak then it will have to be repaired or replaced.
This ductwork basically consists of return ducts and supply ducts, which in simple terms means that one set of ducts supplies the air throughout the house while the return ducts cools the room.
Most often why these ducts develop leaks is because in most instances when you install a new air condition unit the existing ductwork is quite often not replaced and so after a period of time as with everything else, it will weaken and eventually develop leaks.
Furthermore when a duct develop leaks which is quite similar to a garden hose, the air starts leaking through the leaks in the ductwork whether they are situated in the attic, basement, garage or crawlspace and as a result the air is unable to reach its intended location. Remember the idea here is to reduce the amount of heat that is escaping into your home.
Finally it must be noted that all parts of the air condition system must work in conjunction with each other. What this means basically is that the supply duct, the return duct, the filters, the coils, the vents and all other components that make up an air condition system rely on each other in order to have the system functioning properly without having any problems.
Hence you will have to check each and every part of your air condition system in order to determine which component is causing the problem that you are experiencing and if all is well with your air condition system and you are still experiencing a return air problem then is is probably time for you to start checking the overall construction of your home.
This also plays a major part as to how your air condition performs, for instance you might want to check for tiny cracks and leaks that may be causing air to seep into your home and causing your air condition unit to malfunction.
