Air Conditioning - Hardly any air blowing out vent

So like everyone else having problems with AC. I have tech come out and add freon. Said it ws low and gave it a charge. I had been keeping the temp set high(83) since if I lowered it the system would run none stop all day. Now I lowered the temp and it ran for 6 hours to drop to 79 degrees...and this probably only happen since its now dark and the temp outside has dropped.

I am not a AC person, but it doesnt seem like enough air is blowing out of vents. Some has very little. What would cause this?

I have cleaned the outside unit

Have you always had this issue or is it a new one ?

Have you always had this issue or is it a new one ?

Sorry should have put that info. I just moved bought the house so I do not know. I do know that when I came to look at the house the temp was set at 78. Now if i set it at 78 it runs non-stop.

Have you checked the filter to ensure that it is not clogged? Has the blower fan been cleaned and serviced? Is the evaporator coil free from excessive lint and dirty build-up which restricts the flow of air? If you have low freon, your evaporator can freeze up and eventually the ice build-up will block the flow of air.

Have you checked the filter to ensure that it is not clogged? Has the blower fan been cleaned and serviced? Is the evaporator coil free from excessive lint and dirty build-up which restricts the flow of air? If you have low freon, your evaporator can freeze up and eventually the ice build-up will block the flow of air.

I have a new filter.

Is the evaporateor coil the radiator looking thing outside? If so I have had that cleaned.

I have not had the blower cleaned and serviced. Is this something that I can do myself. Sounds fairly easy...

No, the coil outside is the condenser. The evaporator is the less accessable coil unit inside your basement or attic (depending where your furnace is located). Some sheet metal has to be removed to inspect and clean the evaporator.

No, the coil outside is the condenser. The evaporator is the less accessable coil unit inside your basement or attic (depending where your furnace is located). Some sheet metal has to be removed to inspect and clean the evaporator.

ahh. I never knew which was which, but the evaporator was replaced in 2006 according to the paperwork I have, and the AC guy said it looked new.

So I guess the next thing is making sure the bower is clean.

Chances are that there is no leak and refrigerant was added to compensate for the effects of insufficient airflow. ("If the suction line pressure is low, it must need more refer") :rolleyes: Get a second opinion.

In addition you may want to also check to make sure a duct didn't come loose somewhere. If something came loose, you may be blowing cold air into the attic that never gets a chance to cool you or the thermostat, causing the A/C to run continuously. It would also help explain the reduced airflow from the vents.

Check the copper lines at the outdoor unit Big one cold and wet the small one warm to hot. Also check the inside blower and see if it runs on high on AC

Our house is 4 yrs old, have had no problems until a few weeks ago. Tech told us there was a refrigerant leak (although he didn't conduct an actual leak search). The leak was causing ice to build up, blocking the flow of air. Although we replaced the filters a month and a half before, he blamed dirty supply filters for causing the leak in the first place. He recommended not conducting a leak check since it was sure to be in the coil and he couldn't repair the coil since the in-place system didn't meet current SEER standards. The unit should be under warranty. So I ask you:

- Dirty supply filters causing refrigerant leaks doesn't make sense to me (reduced efficiency, reduced air flow, yes). Does this sound right?

- What happens when building codes change during the warranty period? It doesn't make sense that I should throw up my hands and drop 6K into a new system.

Thanks in advance!

Well the guy finally came back out to my house and ended up finding a freon leak. To me this still doesnt explain the air flow issue....but then I dont care. I have a Home Warrenty and I am going to keep calling and having them come back out until I am happy with it, or someone fixes it right.

I am under the impression that air flow reduction is going to be caused if something wrong with ducted work or duct work blocked....or the blower has a problem. If the freon is low it should still blow the same amount of CFMs out of the vent ...right?

Do you have a high MERV rated paper filter in there? This could restrict flow some.

Checking the blower speed isn't something YOU can really do. The best you could do is perhaps opening the blower door and taping the blower door's electrical switch so the blower can run with the door open so you can feel if a lot more air blows thru the registers. If it does, this would indicate the restriction is from the cold air return side. Such a test though is subjective to your ability to be scientific in how you handle measuring the air. Do before and after test with your hand, or paper held in exact spot above same register at same distance away, and feel/observe.

Open up blower compartment and use flashlight if need be and carefully look and see if the squirrel cage vanes are all pluged up with caked-on dust. If so, this would indicate that furnace poorly maintained, and that filters left out and or infrequently changed and coud also be indicator that the evaporator coils are also plugged with the same junk. If that be the case, this definitely will slow down the airflow out the registers. Then the blower wheel vanes and the evaporator coils will have to be cleaned.

Do you have a high MERV rated paper filter in there? This could restrict flow some.

Checking the blower speed isn't something YOU can really do. The best you could do is perhaps opening the blower door and taping the blower door's electrical switch so the blower can run with the door open so you can feel if a lot more air blows thru the registers. If it does, this would indicate the restriction is from the cold air return side. Such a test though is subjective to your ability to be scientific in how you handle measuring the air. Do before and after test with your hand, or paper held in exact spot above same register at same distance away, and feel/observe.

Thanks I will do this...