Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - A/C Apparently Working; House Still Warm
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06-14-01, 02:34 AM
Hi. Novice do-it-yourselfer here.
About a year ago I bought a townhouse that is now 16 years old. The A/C unit was installed, I was told, about a year prior to my purchase of the house. (I'm sorry I can't relate its make or model number; I'm not at the house right now -- I'm at work. I can tell you that it's all electric, however.)
About a month ago, I noticed that no cool air was coming out of the vents in the house. I called a technician, who came out and deduced that the freon level was low, and the inside coils were dirty. He filled the freon back up, and cleaned out the coils. The A/C worked fine thereafter.
Over the past couple of days it has been extremely hot. I turned on the A/C to cool the house down. Cool air is felt from all of the vents in the house, and yet the temperature in the house will not go below 82ºF, no matter what time of day it is.
I have ceiling fans running in the upper level. All of the windows in the house are closed. The intakes are not being
blocked. The filter is regularly changed on a monthly basis. To my knowledge the external coils are free of debris.
Any ideas? Could it be something that has nothing to do with the A/C, such as the attic insulation or the windows?
It's freakin' hot in that house. Thanks very much for any assistance.
About a year ago I bought a townhouse that is now 16 years old. The A/C unit was installed, I was told, about a year prior to my purchase of the house. (I'm sorry I can't relate its make or model number; I'm not at the house right now -- I'm at work. I can tell you that it's all electric, however.)
About a month ago, I noticed that no cool air was coming out of the vents in the house. I called a technician, who came out and deduced that the freon level was low, and the inside coils were dirty. He filled the freon back up, and cleaned out the coils. The A/C worked fine thereafter.
Over the past couple of days it has been extremely hot. I turned on the A/C to cool the house down. Cool air is felt from all of the vents in the house, and yet the temperature in the house will not go below 82ºF, no matter what time of day it is.
I have ceiling fans running in the upper level. All of the windows in the house are closed. The intakes are not being
blocked. The filter is regularly changed on a monthly basis. To my knowledge the external coils are free of debris.
Any ideas? Could it be something that has nothing to do with the A/C, such as the attic insulation or the windows?
It's freakin' hot in that house. Thanks very much for any assistance.
R-12guy
06-14-01, 06:01 AM
Sounds like a small leak could be in the system.
06-14-01, 06:27 AM
A leak letting the freon out? If that's the case, then why would cool air still be coming out of the vents? My perception is that the cool air is coming out. It's just not sticking around.
Hypothetically, if it is a small leak, is the resolution a simple fix or an entirely new unit? The current unit is approximately two years old.
Thanks again....
Hypothetically, if it is a small leak, is the resolution a simple fix or an entirely new unit? The current unit is approximately two years old.
Thanks again....
R-12guy
06-14-01, 10:27 AM
Refrigeration charge has to be near perfect for it to put out the reguired BTU's the unit is designed to put out....what is the temp inside the house? at the vent, and outside temp..... how much humidity is in the house? at theses thing have an effect on the system... can you see all your duct work? is there leaks in it? where this form is good, is to get you by in a pinch and help you understand the system..... when it comes to fixing it, you will need a tech.....
06-16-01, 04:10 AM
New information regarding the issue.
Over the phone, an expert had me go down to the inside unit and look at a black insulated pipe coming out of it. It had a band of ice around it. He had me turn the fan to On and turn the A/C off in order to defrost the ice. He said that the ice is blocking the air flow from getting in to the compressor and getting cooled, which is why the air coming out of the vents is cool as opposed to cold.
The ice melted, and I turned the fan back to Auto and the A/C back to Cool. Within a couple of hours, ice had begun to form again. The problem still exists; the house is not cooling.
The expert said that the most likely scenario is that the freon is low or, more likely, the coils are dirty, clogging up the flow and generating the ice.
Any thoughts? Right, wrong?
Over the phone, an expert had me go down to the inside unit and look at a black insulated pipe coming out of it. It had a band of ice around it. He had me turn the fan to On and turn the A/C off in order to defrost the ice. He said that the ice is blocking the air flow from getting in to the compressor and getting cooled, which is why the air coming out of the vents is cool as opposed to cold.
The ice melted, and I turned the fan back to Auto and the A/C back to Cool. Within a couple of hours, ice had begun to form again. The problem still exists; the house is not cooling.
The expert said that the most likely scenario is that the freon is low or, more likely, the coils are dirty, clogging up the flow and generating the ice.
Any thoughts? Right, wrong?
R-12guy
06-16-01, 12:59 PM
both could be the cause