Thanks for the info; what you're describing is the one thing I've heard from other sources as a possible cause.
Since sending the original message, I paid a guy come out to check both my systems. Recommended by a friend, but he's a solo act & I've never dealt with him before. He put his gauges on it (while running, only), and said there was nothing wrong even though I told him it takes a long time to get to even 17-18 degrees of temp spread. He blamed the high outdoor heat & the extreme humidity here in MS. I did ask him whether there could be any issues other than freon levels, like valving, etc, but he shrugged that off without any further checks.
We've now closed off that extra bedroom/bath area, and the system is doing significantly better, but I'm still getting 'high humidity' notices from the smart thermostat after taking a shower, etc (new development), and it still takes a couple of hours to drop 4 or 5 degrees in the house.
I guess I'll see how our KWH number looks for August compared to last year. July was significantly higher, but that extra sq footage was open then. I'm still kinda expecting to have a new HVAC bill in my future....
Anyone have any thoughts on inverter style systems in rural areas with really unreliable electrical utilities? Our power seems to go off when it rains anywhere in the county, and some of my electronic stuff complains when running on my old Generac automatic backup generator. The AC tech that came out wasn't a fan; said they're not ready for prime time in areas like mine.
Thanks for any thoughts,
Charlie
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