Air Conditioning - Big AC Problems

Gosh where to begin...

1. the other day in my condo my roommate and I noticed a gurgling sound coming from the ac unit inside. took off the filter and noticed the pan was full with water. We soaked it up and noticed a black thick goo (im assuming mold) on and around the coils. We cleaned it up.

2. Then next day the coils would freeze up. No cold air coming in once they thawed out

3. outside fan will not move at all. no noise, no clicking, just nothing.

4. ive noticed that the coils are very dirty


how screwed am i??? :)

Hard to say.....

Clogged condensate drains are very common but in most cases, easily fixed. The freezing up is either poor air flow (such as a dirty evaporator coil) or a freon leak. In your case, I would say dirty coils are likely the problem. Again, an easy fix. But.... freezing up can cause compressor damage.

Some systems have a float switch that will shut off the condensing unit (outside unit) if the drain pan is full.

Call a good tech, and he/she will likely get you going. In the future, don't ignore the system until it breaks. Preventive maintenance can save $$$.

If the outside (condenser) fan is not working then you have found the problem. Sounds like maybe a capacitor has gone bad. You need to get the fan and the compressor to run. The fan and comp are supposed to energize simultaneously. Check the capacitor and see. If the capacitor has gone bad you can usually tell because it will be swollen or leaking oil, also look for any swelling along the top where the terminals are