Air Conditioning question (Full Version)

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jodavi -> Air Conditioning question (6/2/2008 1:06:36 PM)

Before I call up a repair guy that I'm sure will be pricey, 'thought I'd ask here first. We have a central air, when I turned on the air, cool air's coming out from the vent but the unit outside the house is dead silence. The fan in the unit is not running. 'turned off the breaker and turned on again and it's the same thing. I read somewhere that there's a thing called fuse next to the unit that can be replaced, has someone tried to replace that before?



peace77 -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/2/2008 10:45:42 PM)

Fuses are cheap. Turn off the breaker and take out the old one. Take it to a hardware store or Home Depot store and buy a similar one. Put it the new one and turn the breaker back on. It's worth replacing to find out if that is the problem.


Anne



dozermom67 -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/3/2008 10:04:56 AM)

Okay, another air conditioner question...

Our central air conditioner froze up last night - literally. We noticed that it wasn't cooling as it should, and then when my hubby went to check it he said it was frozen in there. He turned the ac off and left the fan running. He said he could hear the 'ice' inside. What's up with that? Is there too much moisture in the air (it's in the basement), or is something wrong with it? [&:]

Thanks.



jodavi -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/3/2008 11:13:29 AM)

'guess it's not the fuse. We went to Ace Hardware and had the fuse checked and it's working just fine. I'm glad we had it checked first before buying. So I don't know. The air is producing cold air but the unit outside is just dead and the fan is not rotating...'guess have to call around for free estimates on what's wrong with it. There goes our rebate check.



APZR -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/3/2008 11:20:28 AM)

You need to get it serviced. It could be low on freon, could be a problem with a safety valve. But if you keep running it to avoid a $80 service call, it will end up costing you $2000 for a new condensing unit.



doinkdom -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/3/2008 11:33:38 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: dozermom67

Okay, another air conditioner question...

Our central air conditioner froze up last night - literally. We noticed that it wasn't cooling as it should, and then when my hubby went to check it he said it was frozen in there. He turned the ac off and left the fan running. He said he could hear the 'ice' inside. What's up with that? Is there too much moisture in the air (it's in the basement), or is something wrong with it? [&:]

Thanks.


We lived in a townhouse that the a/c did this all summer long. I used to pour water over the ice to melt it until the repair guy would come to fix it.

It was usually some kind of leak where the freon escaped and the humidity formed a layer of ice and then the unit just stopped producing cold air.

After 2 summers of that, we finally got a new unit.



APZR -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/3/2008 12:15:24 PM)

I assumed you have central AC. If so... a leak in the exterior coil can be fixed, it's not a death sentence for your AC. Now it may not look good aesthetically, having to remove some of the "fins" in the grid to solder the hole, but it can be fixed to run for a few more years.
A leak anywhere interior can be very dangerous, and should be repaired ASAP to avoid death by asphyxiation.

If you are using window units, buying a new one may be cheaper then repair. Window units are kind of "disposable" or temporary climate control.



jodavi -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/4/2008 2:20:21 PM)

Turned out nothing was wrong with the AC [:@]- The repair guy came and looked at it and put the thermostat way down to 52 and it worked. The thermostat was on 74 and turned it down to 68 but he was saying that at the beggining of the season turn it really low to kick off the AC and do the adjustments later. We ended up paying him $60 but he went ahead and checked the entire AC. Anyway, we learned a new lesson.



APZR -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/4/2008 5:02:14 PM)

Jodavi, a lot of people make the mistake of turning their AC up to 90 in the day, and 75+- in the evenings... especially with programmable thermostats. That is NOT good and does NOT save any $$$. If you swing your temp by more than 10 degrees, you are not only killing your AC unit, but causing it to burn power much more so than leaving it set at 75-78. My single neighbor opens his windows in the day and uses AC at night, his power bill was $150. We set our temp at 78 in the day and 74 in the evening. Our power bill was $200 for a family of 4. The units now days are very efficient and are getting better. I can't get anything less than a 12 Ser, next year won't be able to buy anything less than a 14 Ser.



teachered -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/5/2008 10:39:21 PM)

APZR,

I am an office manager for a heating & air company. the lowest SEER you can get is a 13 SEER, I believe this went into affect last Jan. The higher the SEER, the more expensive the unit, but you will save more on your utility bill. Most units that are more than 5 years old are only 10 SEERS. If you are having to spend more than $400.00 in repairs you are better of having a new unit installed.

BTW jodavi, not sure where you live, but $60.00 is an excellent price. We charge $75.00 for a service call & that is pretty good. We are located just east of Atlanta.

Usually when the unit freezes like that on the outside it is an idication of a leak. Sometimes, if it is a slow leak freon can be added, but usually the leak has to be repaired.

I have gotten so many calls this past week from people who needs their ac unit looked at because it is not working. I would recommend that everyone call & get quotes from a local AC place & have their unit/s serviced. It is better to spend the money & have it serviced twice a year, then waiting to call when you have a problem. Every home owner should have their unit checked 2x a year, just like you check your oil & change it ever 3-5 thousand miles. I t really does help keep the life of your unit last longer, and it also helps reduce your utility bill.

Stay cool!



jodavi -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/6/2008 8:15:37 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: teachered

BTW jodavi, not sure where you live, but $60.00 is an excellent price. We charge $75.00 for a service call & that is pretty good. We are located just east of Atlanta.


Hubby called different places prior first and some cost between $89-100. $60 was the cheapest and then we realized that they were the same people who changed our plumbing when we moved in our house. I'm just happy that we have air. It will be in the high 80's and low 90's the next few days and with humidity....yuck....I'll be cranky all day long from the heat.



APZR -> RE: Air Conditioning question (6/6/2008 11:13:30 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: teachered

APZR,

I am an office manager for a heating & air company. the lowest SEER you can get is a 13 SEER, I believe this went into affect last Jan. The higher the SEER, the more expensive the unit, but you will save more on your utility bill. Most units that are more than 5 years old are only 10 SEERS. If you are having to spend more than $400.00 in repairs you are better of having a new unit installed.

BTW jodavi, not sure where you live, but $60.00 is an excellent price. We charge $75.00 for a service call & that is pretty good. We are located just east of Atlanta.

Usually when the unit freezes like that on the outside it is an idication of a leak. Sometimes, if it is a slow leak freon can be added, but usually the leak has to be repaired.

I have gotten so many calls this past week from people who needs their ac unit looked at because it is not working. I would recommend that everyone call & get quotes from a local AC place & have their unit/s serviced. It is better to spend the money & have it serviced twice a year, then waiting to call when you have a problem. Every home owner should have their unit checked 2x a year, just like you check your oil & change it ever 3-5 thousand miles. I t really does help keep the life of your unit last longer, and it also helps reduce your utility bill.

Stay cool!



Appreciate you posting, was hoping a HVAC person would jump in. I couldn't remember if it was 12 or 13 was the new rulez... 13 is just such an odd number. [;)]



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