The AC broke
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 00:58 last edited by
Figures
90+ all week, so it decides to break today
It is 85 in here at the moment
The AC makes normal noise, but just a trickle of cool air is coming out.
I'll have to skip golf tomorrow for the first time since February, so I can deal with this.
Swell
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 01:01 last edited by
That sucks.
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 01:47 last edited by
A 5000 or 6000btu window unit is your friend.
That's enough to cool a single room to tolerable. That lets you sleep cool and that makes all the difference in the world.
That, and a generator are essentials in hurricane country.
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 01:47 last edited by Catseye3
"Does your AC run but not enough air comes out of the vents?
This is a symptom of an airflow problem
Low airflow can be caused by many different things, some of which you can solve on your own and others you’ll need to call in the professionals for.
So, let’s dive in.
Try these DIY solutions:"
https://www.pippinbrothers.com/blog/article/why-is-my-air-conditioner-not-blowing-hard
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 02:52 last edited by
I'm going to guess either a capacitor on the compressor requiring a "hard start" or you've got low freon due to a coil leak.
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 10:21 last edited by Improviso
@copper said in The AC broke:
AC makes normal noise
I'll assume you mean the outdoor condenser unit is running fine.
No air flow is an indication that the indoor air handler fan is not running. 2 things will cause this. Either the capacitor on the air handler motor is bad OR the relay that engages the fan is sticking or bad. The thermostat sends a 24 volt signal to the relay to energize the hi voltage side of the relay which sends power to the motor. Sometimes bugs can get in this relay and not allow it to engage properly. These are the 2 things I'd check.
Also check to see if you have cartridge fuses in the cutoff switch for the air handler. If you do, these things do go bad from time to time. If present, do a continuity check on them. Usually, there will be 2 if present. One going bad will cause no power going to the air handler.
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 14:20 last edited by
The AC guy thought it might be an ice build-up on the coil - a frozen coil
He said
- turn off the system
- just run the fan - to blow warm air on the possible ice on the coils
When I did that a couple hours ago, I got a pretty steady water flow going outside, that could have been the ice melting
The system was off overnight, so maybe the ice melted some already
It seems like I am getting a little more air flow now, I'll start up the compressor in a little while and see what happens
Of course, the question remains, if it was a frozen coil, why?
I've been watching lots of youtube about this, fun stuff
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 14:33 last edited by
@copper said in The AC broke:
Of course, the question remains, if it was a frozen coil, why?
Frozen coil is a symptom of low coolant. Have them recharge your system.
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The AC guy thought it might be an ice build-up on the coil - a frozen coil
He said
- turn off the system
- just run the fan - to blow warm air on the possible ice on the coils
When I did that a couple hours ago, I got a pretty steady water flow going outside, that could have been the ice melting
The system was off overnight, so maybe the ice melted some already
It seems like I am getting a little more air flow now, I'll start up the compressor in a little while and see what happens
Of course, the question remains, if it was a frozen coil, why?
I've been watching lots of youtube about this, fun stuff
wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 14:38 last edited byWhen your system is in cooling mode, low coolant will manifest itself with the indoor air handler coils freezing up.
When your system is in heating mode, low coolant will manifest itself with the outdoor condenser coils freezing up.
When it happened to me with the indoor air handler, I would remove the cover to expose the coils and use a hair dryer to melt the ice on the coil. It was a temporary fix until the HVAC guy could get out to recharge my system.
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@copper said in The AC broke:
Of course, the question remains, if it was a frozen coil, why?
Frozen coil is a symptom of low coolant. Have them recharge your system.
wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 16:05 last edited by@improviso said in The AC broke:
@copper said in The AC broke:
Of course, the question remains, if it was a frozen coil, why?
Frozen coil is a symptom of low coolant. Have them recharge your system.
Most likely from a coil leak.
The newer units mostly have aluminum coils running under a higher pressure than the old freon. With the old freon and copper coils, you could charge it and maybe get by for the rest of the summer. The new stuff, maybe not.
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@improviso said in The AC broke:
@copper said in The AC broke:
Of course, the question remains, if it was a frozen coil, why?
Frozen coil is a symptom of low coolant. Have them recharge your system.
Most likely from a coil leak.
The newer units mostly have aluminum coils running under a higher pressure than the old freon. With the old freon and copper coils, you could charge it and maybe get by for the rest of the summer. The new stuff, maybe not.
wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 20:45 last edited by@jolly said in The AC broke:
Most likely from a coil leak.
We have a winner!
A coil leak, corrosion after 2 years! He refilled the refrigerant and said it could last months or years, but it will leak. So we'll replace the coil sometime soon, his office will let us know about warranty.
So far the temperature dropped from 91 to 90 here on the 2nd floor. Relief!
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 20:48 last edited by
What do you think you would have scored in the round of golf you missed because of this?
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wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 21:01 last edited by
It would have been something special.
The first weekday I missed playing since February. The streak, now ended, had taken on Epic Heroic Legendary dimensions in some circles. There will be some disappointed golfers.
But as one epic ends, another will begin.
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@jolly said in The AC broke:
Most likely from a coil leak.
We have a winner!
A coil leak, corrosion after 2 years! He refilled the refrigerant and said it could last months or years, but it will leak. So we'll replace the coil sometime soon, his office will let us know about warranty.
So far the temperature dropped from 91 to 90 here on the 2nd floor. Relief!
wrote on 14 Jul 2021, 21:06 last edited by@copper said in The AC broke:
@jolly said in The AC broke:
Most likely from a coil leak.
We have a winner!
A coil leak, corrosion after 2 years! He refilled the refrigerant and said it could last months or years, but it will leak. So we'll replace the coil sometime soon, his office will let us know about warranty.
So far the temperature dropped from 91 to 90 here on the 2nd floor. Relief!
Most are 5 year warranties. Some are 10. Don't have a clue if they are pro-rated.
Word of advice...watch the sales and buy a small 5000 or 6000btu window unit and store it. Should be able to get one for less than $150. During hurricane season, coupled with a generator, that's solid gold comfort. Also nice to have if the central a/c goes out.
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@jolly said in The AC broke:
Most likely from a coil leak.
We have a winner!
A coil leak, corrosion after 2 years! He refilled the refrigerant and said it could last months or years, but it will leak. So we'll replace the coil sometime soon, his office will let us know about warranty.
So far the temperature dropped from 91 to 90 here on the 2nd floor. Relief!
wrote on 15 Jul 2021, 17:44 last edited by@copper said in The AC broke:
@jolly said in The AC broke:
Most likely from a coil leak.
We have a winner!
A coil leak, corrosion after 2 years! He refilled the refrigerant and said it could last months or years, but it will leak. So we'll replace the coil sometime soon, his office will let us know about warranty.
So far the temperature dropped from 91 to 90 here on the 2nd floor. Relief!
Good to hear it's on the mend! When my AC did this a year or two ago, they also injected some sort of "fix the leak" chemical while recharging the lines, which seemed to stop any leaks at least until now.
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@copper said in The AC broke:
@jolly said in The AC broke:
Most likely from a coil leak.
We have a winner!
A coil leak, corrosion after 2 years! He refilled the refrigerant and said it could last months or years, but it will leak. So we'll replace the coil sometime soon, his office will let us know about warranty.
So far the temperature dropped from 91 to 90 here on the 2nd floor. Relief!
Most are 5 year warranties. Some are 10. Don't have a clue if they are pro-rated.
Word of advice...watch the sales and buy a small 5000 or 6000btu window unit and store it. Should be able to get one for less than $150. During hurricane season, coupled with a generator, that's solid gold comfort. Also nice to have if the central a/c goes out.
wrote on 16 Jul 2021, 01:03 last edited by@jolly said in The AC broke:
Word of advice...watch the sales and buy a small 5000 or 6000btu window unit and store it.
It broke again
I just finished installing 2 5,000 BTU window units.
The compressor is on order, should be covered by warranty, but the labor estimate is $800+
I'm just happy that True Value had a couple cheap window units on the shelf.
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wrote on 16 Jul 2021, 01:06 last edited by Jolly
Won't keep your home cold, but will let you sleep cool (that means a lot down here) and maybe function in a couple of rooms. No a/c at all is miserable.
Hope things get back to normal soon.
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wrote on 16 Jul 2021, 01:08 last edited by
Sigh...
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@jolly said in The AC broke:
Word of advice...watch the sales and buy a small 5000 or 6000btu window unit and store it.
It broke again
I just finished installing 2 5,000 BTU window units.
The compressor is on order, should be covered by warranty, but the labor estimate is $800+
I'm just happy that True Value had a couple cheap window units on the shelf.
wrote on 16 Jul 2021, 03:33 last edited by@copper said in The AC broke:
I'm just happy that True Value had a couple cheap window units on the shelf.
No kidding!
This reminds me... I grew up in a house (7 of us total, about 1,000 square feet?) that didn't have central AC. It's funny what things you have or don't have as a kid and no know any different. Looking back, I realize my dad would install the window units in the dining room and 2 bedrooms every spring, then take them out each fall. Never new that central air was even a thing (or that our house wasn't terribly cool in the summer) until later in life... It's all relative, I guess.
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@copper said in The AC broke:
I'm just happy that True Value had a couple cheap window units on the shelf.
No kidding!
This reminds me... I grew up in a house (7 of us total, about 1,000 square feet?) that didn't have central AC. It's funny what things you have or don't have as a kid and no know any different. Looking back, I realize my dad would install the window units in the dining room and 2 bedrooms every spring, then take them out each fall. Never new that central air was even a thing (or that our house wasn't terribly cool in the summer) until later in life... It's all relative, I guess.
wrote on 16 Jul 2021, 14:01 last edited by@89th said in The AC broke:
7 of us
8 of us - no AC, the third floor was hot
That was normal at the time
My mother is still in that house, now with central AC
