How Quickly Should an Air Conditioner Work?

Cooling Function

After the internal compressor activates an air conditioner's cooling element, the time needed to cool the room varies depending on how hot the room is and how big. A larger room requires more time for the air conditioner to regulate the air in the room. If a room is particularly hot, an hour or two might be required to fully cool the room. Also, the more powerful the unit, the quicker the room cools.

Pressing the "On/Off" or "Power" button turns on the air conditioner. When the "Fan" button is pressed, the fan turns on immediately. If the fan fails to turn on after the function is activated, then the fan motor might be broken, set to reverse or hindered in some way by blockage or mold growth around the motor.

The thermostat tells the air conditioner when to cool a room. If the room temperature rises above the designated thermostat setting, then you should immediately hear the internal compressor kick in and soon after feel cold air blowing from the unit. To cause the compressor to kick in, lower the thermostat setting to a number below room temperature. For instance, if the room temperature is 80 degrees F., lower the thermostat by pressing the down directional button until the unit reaches 75 degrees F. You should hear the internal compressor kick in immediately.

When an air conditioner unit experiences a power outage, the unit's plug may prevent the unit from turning on after power is reinstated. An air conditioner unit plug features an internal mechanism that prevents power surges from entering the unit. When a power overload hits the plug, the internal mechanism trips and must be reset before the unit can power on. Once the "Reset" button on the plug is pressed, the unit can be turned on. Upon activation after a power outage, an air conditioner unit's internal compressor might fail to turn on for the first three minutes of activation. This delay is part of the compressor's internal overload prevention mechanism, which also prevents power surges from damaging the unit.