Air Conditioner Problems

[Luke]

I arrived home from work today to a warm house.

I looked outside and the tube/pipe from the big loud fan thing was iced up completely. That pipe leads to the inside blowing unit in my house. The pipe was frozen the whole way. I let it de-ice for a few hours then kicked it back on. It wasn't 10 minutes before the whole pipe was frozen back.

What does this mean? And how much is this going to cost?

*sigh*

[jsibelius]

Do some research if you can. A/C companies can smell your sweat (pun intended) and know you're willing to PAY. Trust me when I say it will be cheaper for you to check into a hotel for a couple of days while you get some bids. And make sure the A/C companies know you're taking bids.

Find out how much A/C you need for the size house you have before you call anyone for bids.

I speak from experience and I want to save you from my $9,000 worth of grief.

[angel27]

Luke - before you call anyone out, check the following: Has your return air filter been changed recently? Needs to be changed every one to 3 months, depending on your filter. Turn off your unit and let it all thaw. Next, check to see if your outside unit "fins" are clean. They should be sprayed clean at least in the spring. Both of those things will block air flow, which will cause icing. When you turn it back on, check to see if your inside blower is working, and your outside unit is running. If not, check for a tripped breaker. These steps have saved me a lot of service calls. If you still need to call someone out, I use Vogt H&A. They are good people.

[Luke]

When it was almost 110 degrees a few weeks ago, the AC wasn't keeping up. I figured it was probably because it's 110 degrees. But, I replaced the filter and sprayed out the fins as you mentioned. Those solved the problem.

The fan on the outside unit is working. I went ahead and reset the breaker anyways.

I did just notice this though: I just turned on the system fan only (no cooling) and that caused lots of water to come out of the condensation pipe(?) outside our home from the AC.

It's actually nice outside, so we'll open some windows tonight and hope that this gets all better by tomorrow morning

Any other suggestions or ideas?

[Thunder]

Any ideas why my apt AC runs nonstop, even tho it is suppose to shut off at certain temperature, hence it is on 'auto'? This is one hella machine that want to keep me frozen! Is it because of the air filter? It hasn't been replaced for, eh I think 3 years. Who is to do that, me or the management?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Sounds like either a) the filters got clogged and froze it up or b) you've lost the coolant and it's froze up.

[FRISKY]

It's probably low on freon caused by a leak.

[Luke]

How does one go about repairing a freon leak or low freon?

[sgt. pepper]

our A/C at the house runs non stop. i too replaced the filter and cleaned the outside unit, it changed nothing. no frozen pipe or leakage as far as i can see. i canged the thermostat, still no change. i called the heat/air guy that we always liked, he came out, went thru his check list: said there was nothing wrong and charged me $80! i was so upset...anyway, he did say i could use some more insulation in my attic and he could do that for $1000. He said the air was cold enough, but it is not getting cold enough in the house to shut the thremostat off. i know the unit is big enough for the house. we have not had this problem before and i have a hard time believing the insulation thing. what's a guy to do?

thunder, have you had them replace the thermostat? i would have management come check it out.

[namellac]

my unit is probably on its last legs as it is original to my house. Does anybody know of a reputable company that won't gouge you on a new system? I had 3 quotes last summer, and all were $5K+ . The wholesale cost on these units are around $2500 to $3500.

[Thunder]

Sgt. Pepper, when I moved in, I had them to replace the thermostat, because of the blemish on it. Yes, I know, was picky. This is a new thermostat and I dunno if that is the cause of it.

[OKC4me]

I've had the same problem. Our unit runs non-stop also. We have it set on 79, but its usually around 86 or so in the house! We just spent $700 having the a/c guy here twice. Its still not keeping the house as cool as it should. In fact, its 83 right now!

The a/c guy said the unit was fine, our blower was fine, freon was fine, etc. But its still really hot in here. I know how you're feeling, plus, our electric bill was $300 the last 2 months.

[bandnerd]

Did you have all the fuses/breakers checked? A friend was having problems at her apt. where the a/c wouldn't cool the apartment off at all...it was over 90. That didn't totally fix the problem...then he found that a rope had twisted around the outside fan and it wasn't turning.

Even then, it still didn't cool properly.

After she complained to me again about it, I informed her to look into her renter's rights and outlined some steps to take to get some action. She hasn't complained since, so I don't know what's going on with it anymore!

If you rent, KEEP BUGGING THE OFFICE. A/C units should be able to handle 93 degree heat outside. We can now keep our apartment pretty darn cool if we want it to be. We fought for this a/c unit for years, but we're finally happy.

[Thunder]

That isn't the case for me. When I set mine to 75, the temperature gets down to 60! I have to keep increasing, so it won't get too cold. Setting it to 90 equals to about 80.

[angel27]

My dad was once in that business and he showed me how to adjust the thermostat to make the unit run closer to the set temp.. but I don't remember how he said to do it. If the air is blowing but not cold, then it could be the freon and I think that requires someone that knows what they're doing.

[sgt. pepper]

I've had the same problem. Our unit runs non-stop also. We have it set on 79, but its usually around 86 or so in the house! We just spent $700 having the a/c guy here twice. Its still not keeping the house as cool as it should. In fact, its 83 right now!

The a/c guy said the unit was fine, our blower was fine, freon was fine, etc. But its still really hot in here. I know how you're feeling, plus, our electric bill was $300 the last 2 months.

OKC4ME, i'm sorry you are having the same problem, but i am glad that the problem is just not mine. i just don't think it's the weather. if my a/c can't keep up with the heat, why is my neighbors unit not keeping up? it's really frustrating. i guess it depengs on a number of things but still, it's not good on my pocket book.

[Luke]

I signed up for Angie's List (Home) which provide user rated services around the metro. Heard about it on NPR. It costs $15 for a year's subscription which tends to keep the reviews honest, hopefully. I looked up AC repair and Interstate Heating and Air Conditioning came out on top. The owner even posts responses to the customers at the site.

They're scheduled to come to my house tomorrow. I called and talked to the owner to get a feel for the place. He talked with me for about 20 minutes explaining how they do things, how they charge, what they charge for...etc. Very nice guy. I feel confident in the company after speaking with him and after seeing the many positive reviews at Angie's List.

We shall see...

[Karried]

A lot of it depends on the size of your home in relation to your unit. If you can't afford a new higher seer rated A/C - think about less expensive options....add more insulation to your attic or install attic fans.

Winter's close... start now to Seal up windows or upgrade, put foam inserts in your outlets, block drafts and utilize options such as Lined drapes or blinds, the sun and deciduous trees to help keep the temperature stable.

Luke, can you look for a reputable Carpet Installer for me.. lol, I was going to join just for that.

[Luke]

Luke, can you look for a reputable Carpet Installer for me.. lol, I was going to join just for that.

What's it worth to ya'...

[Karried]

lol.... I'll probably just use Home Depot - not to derail the thread, but has anyone used Empire Carpet? Does anyone have a recommendation?

[sgt. pepper]

luke, please keep us posted on what this guy finds out tomorrow.

[Luke]

After talking to two AC repair guys, they both said it's either one of two things...

Because I hadn't changed the filter in the inside unit for a year and a half (how was I supposed to know?) the coil could be getting clogged and that would cause the problem I'm having.

The other option is that it's just low on refrigerant.

We'll see what happens tomorrow!

[ewoodard]

The A coils are located above the blower in the house. It is where the return air gets cool. If they are dirty or clogged then the return air does not cool, causing the unit to run constantly. You may be able to find the coils and clean them yourself by look above the heating unit at the plenum (usually a large box above the heating unit) and opening it up. There are some spray on products that do not require rinsing to clean the coils, or you could simply trun the heat on when your unit freezes up to thaw the ice quickly removing most of the dirt with the melt water.

[Luke]

The A coils are located above the blower in the house. It is where the return air gets cool. If they are dirty or clogged then the return air does not cool, causing the unit to run constantly. You may be able to find the coils and clean them yourself by look above the heating unit at the plenum (usually a large box above the heating unit) and opening it up. There are some spray on products that do not require rinsing to clean the coils, or you could simply trun the heat on when your unit freezes up to thaw the ice quickly removing most of the dirt with the melt water.

Interesting idea...