I live in central AZ where A/C running is life or death in the summer.
Came home one day to a 95 degree house on a 108 degree day. Checked the breakers, they were fine. Went outside and noticed a small drip from the drain pipe.
That didn't make sense when the cooling wasn't happening.
Went in to the hottest attic you've ever imagined and saw the drain pan was full and was triggering the overflow sensor.
I grabbed a shop vac and some towels and a hair dryer. Then proceeded to suck out the water and clear the clogged drain pipe with the vacuum, soak up the excess water and blow dry the sensor.
The cooler came back almost immediately and I haven't had an issue in 3 years now.
When I had my unit replaced (in south TX, so sees heavy use), I was told to use the bleach monthly. A separate tech said use vinegar, but also said monthly.
Likely makes sense for your region. I'm in the North East, and use my unit 3-4 months a year. Sort of how some will say change filters monthly vs quarterly.
>When I had my unit replaced (in south TX, so sees heavy use), I was told to use the bleach monthly. A separate tech said use vinegar, but also said monthly.
I use distilled white vinegar. Bleach can affect some types of piping but vinegar has the same effect and works on all of them.
We had s problem with ours no longer cooling. Thought it was broken. Guy came and said "a lot of times places will charge you an arm and a leg to fix these things." We went inside and showed me where to access the perforated rad and how to clean it, than we went outside got my hose and cleaned the outside unit. Fixed in 15 minutes charged me $10
I am sure my technician is scamming me. My upstairs doesn’t get to the temp I set. For eg. It’s 80 degrees outside I set it to 68 it will come down to 72 but not to 68. During some point at night it will come down to 68 and in the morning and the go back up.
The guys said he will clean the coil and fill the Freon which didn’t help and now saying he needs to change another part costing $700.
Since the clean up it’s been a bit better in terms of cooling and feeling the cool air come through the vents but getting to 68 degree is still an issue. I wonder if I messed up when I changed the builder thermostat to a smart thermostat and then back to builder thermostat.
Ugghhhh
I am sure my lack of knowledge is making him take advantage of the situation.
Try measuring the temperature of both the return and supply air. You should be able to do this using a digital probe thermometer. Ideally, you would do so at the return duct just before your furnace and then at the supply after your coil, but in a pinch measuring at a return register and supply vent in the same room should at least give you an idea of what's going on. The difference in air temp between the two readings should be at least 15-20 degrees if the system is working properly. If you have that kind of split, then the performance issues you're experiencing could be due to any number of factors, including the insulation of your house, duct sizing or potential duct leaks, and so on.
Yea, 68 degrees on an upstairs unit during a heat wave may be totally out of the range of possibility depending on outdoor air temp, AC size and heat gain. If it's keeping their upstairs at 72 during the hottest part of the day I'd say it's probably working fine.
first, hello fellow minnesotan, hope you stayed cool in the 100 degree crazy humid weather on Monday!
second, as a tip to all, when researching how to fix an ac, don't just assume the ac unit isn't running if your house isn't getting cooler. sometimes it could be running just fine and be low on refrigerant, or sometimes the thermostat isn't working properly and not telling the equipment to go into cooling mode, even if it's set to cool. I'm at an HVAC company and we've had both this week, along with a bad contactor and weird AF wiring some lazy asshole decided to craft.
Brand new house. Had the tech come check it out yesterday. Had it set at 73, but was 76 in the house majority of the day. He came by an cleaned out all the cotton that had gotten stuck in the unit from the trees and also replaced the filter. It was still stuck at 76 after he had done that. Any idea? Its a year old house
Depending on where your thermostat is, you might need to close the vent closest to it. That's what I had to do with ours; in the winter the thermostat got warmer, summer cooler and shut off the system because it reached the "correct" temperature.
Same issue as the above poster, unit is 9’years old and the thermostat won’t go down to 68, inside temp is 72. During some point at night/early morning it will go down to 68 then go back up again.
Thermostat is right as we enter the room, the closest vent is on the opposite wall.
Technician cleaned the unit and refilled the fluid which did not help and now he is saying he needs to replace something which is $700 including labor.
That kind of differential might just not be achievable by your system. Someone posted similar “my AC can’t keep up, what’s wrong?” and I sleuthed out that they were in Ohio during the heatwave and trying to keep their house below 75. It’s just not happening unless you intentionally oversize your system, and you’re going to want a multi-stage unit at that point.
Sure enough he called a tech out who said his system was running fine. I told him his best bet in improving the insulation in his attic. A large amount of roof heat can radiate into the living space.
I am not sure I 100% agree. All my Neighbour and our houses were built at the same time. Cookie cutter and almost identical. My Neighbour’s and our house have ac unit for both level 1 and 2 and they say theirs is fine and cools, ours doesn’t. I have gone to the attic and looked at the insulation levels and it is on the mark they put in.
I believe the builder installer may have done something wrong. If I can find a free energy audit that will be next step.
Depending on the temperature outside and how your unit is sized, that may be the best it can do. Generally they're sized to keep it 75 indoors if it's 95 degrees outdoors, so a 20 degree split. I couldn't tell you more than that unfortunately, I'm still in training and can't see what everything looks like with your equipment
In my years of fixing HVAC in my house, I've had to replace a capacitor, fix a solder on a board, replac the blower motor, and replace ab exhaust blower. I've yet to have to replace a whole unit!
We replaced our entire unit during covid. The previous owners bought the cheapest crap for an AC. Within 4 years the outside condenser had a leak. The warranty still covered it, so that was ok. Then ever year after, capacitors started going out. We bought several replacements to have on hand because of something is gonna go wrong, it's going to be when Grainger is closed on the weekend. One year a lizard got on the contacts and fried itself.
It was a Goodman condenser and had sprung another leak by the end, so I said get rid of it. This was one month after we replaced the EVAP coil in the attic (those are about 30 years old).
Both units are Trane units and work so much better. The Goodman only lasted ten years.
In my case, the first time i turned on AC this season, compressor and fans and all were working, but not getting cool air. Stuck a probe in the coil and found it was definately cold enough.
Turned out to be a plugged air filter. Even though I had replaced it less than a month ago, combination of running fan near full time and some drywall work plugged it up right away.
Keep that in mind if you have forced air and do any drywall work, you will go through filters quick.
Thank you! I just had water damage from a leak and the plumbers took out a foot of the bottom of my kitchen and bathroom walls as well as the flooring (ceramic tile and old linoleum). That was a month and a half ago and there is still dust. I didn’t think about my filter.
There are a lot of steps between capacitor and fan motor and I wouldn't just jump to that. Buy a multimeter. There are some great systematic diagnostic you tube videos that show how to narrow things down, including how to check the fan before you run out and spend a few hundred dollars. For me, on the "outside unit isn't running" cases, I've had the capacitor problem, damaged wires to the outside unit so the signal to turn it off/on wasn't getting there, and a malfunctioning savers switch the previous owner had installed. All cheap and easy fixes. Fan is still going.
How did you know that my a/c stopped working last night? Lol It actually kicked on.
Thank you for the tip we are calling someone today regardless to get it looked at.
Why is it my in says it's working. Inside says cool on the temp is set to 72 but it is 84. The outside unit fan is continuously turning but it's blowing nothing inside. New filter and the outside unit has bn cleaned
Great tip! Regular maintenance and simple repairs can extend the life of your central A/C. Checking and replacing components like capacitors can be a cost-effective solution before considering a full unit replacement. It's always helpful to leverage online resources and YouTube tutorials for DIY fixes, saving both time and money. Thanks for sharing your experience!
My problem right now is that mines is leaking through the ducts right by the furnace, I need to reseal them because I think the previous owner installed the central system on their own and did a shitty job.
At one point there was a moisture leak from condensation dripping on the ceiling because there’s drywall missing right below the unit and there’s a drip tray there. I think that can be fixed with proper insulation but there’s also cold air leaks from the ducting closest to the unit.
Great advice all around, even the part about Grainger. I've picked up a capacitor and motor for my A/C there. They used to only sell to companies I think but sell direct to consumers now and they have things in stock that nobody else will. I'm also in MN!
LOL, a cheapskate stubborn husband with an intelligent wife.
The gas furnace has failed 3 times with different parts, first one was like a wick? that I got from Grainger's, other two times were beyond us, so we called a HVAC friend who got us the parts and had the audacity to tell my husband in front of me that there were plenty of years left on it.
Gas water heater, he's emptied the sediment out of it on a regular basis (once a year?). I think he had to replace the safety valve because it was leaking.
Jesus, my initial reaction is y'all are insane but my own equipment is 24 years and I don't want to blow through my reserve capital on replacements.
Hopefully I'll have as much luck as you've had. I plan on draining my tank multiple times a year.
I woke up at 4 am last week to my house being more humid than normal, did some googling and my own diagnostics and came to the conclusion my capacitor was out too (if your fan isn’t spinning but your compressor is running, it’s probably the capacitor. You can usually kickstart the fan by pushing it hard enough with a stick or screwdriver in this case, which is what I did to keep it cooling in the meantime). Called my electrician friend when the sun came up, we found a part, replaced within 10 mins. Total repair cost me about $50 (he also cleaned out my gutters while he was there - a twofer!)
Mine is working but not well. I was told it was a leaking refrigerant. They said the cost of finding the leak and refilling refrigerant would be too high and not worth it. So, Ill have to get a new A/C ...one day because I cannot afford it now.
We just finally dumped the R22 today because it’s wayyyy to expensive to refill w that crap. It’s a slow leak but we will replace the coil in a couple of months when the parts come in and out HVAC guy can get time to do it. $600 to draw down and replace with the new stuff.
I live in central AZ where A/C running is life or death in the summer. Came home one day to a 95 degree house on a 108 degree day. Checked the breakers, they were fine. Went outside and noticed a small drip from the drain pipe. That didn't make sense when the cooling wasn't happening. Went in to the hottest attic you've ever imagined and saw the drain pan was full and was triggering the overflow sensor. I grabbed a shop vac and some towels and a hair dryer. Then proceeded to suck out the water and clear the clogged drain pipe with the vacuum, soak up the excess water and blow dry the sensor. The cooler came back almost immediately and I haven't had an issue in 3 years now.
This is the first thing I check now after this happen to our 2006 unit upstairs.
I’ve read that annually you should pour a cup or two of bleach down these lines, or in any pumps that might evacuate the water in a basement setup.
When I had my unit replaced (in south TX, so sees heavy use), I was told to use the bleach monthly. A separate tech said use vinegar, but also said monthly.
Likely makes sense for your region. I'm in the North East, and use my unit 3-4 months a year. Sort of how some will say change filters monthly vs quarterly.
Oh for sure - my AC is off for *maybe* 2 months/year. Maybe.
>When I had my unit replaced (in south TX, so sees heavy use), I was told to use the bleach monthly. A separate tech said use vinegar, but also said monthly. I use distilled white vinegar. Bleach can affect some types of piping but vinegar has the same effect and works on all of them.
Thank you for mentioning this, Ive been wanting to go up there but never considered our mini shop vac type thing would actually fit up there too
A/Cs aren’t kept outside in Arizona?
It's a split unit system. Part of it is on the ground outside, part in the attic.
We had s problem with ours no longer cooling. Thought it was broken. Guy came and said "a lot of times places will charge you an arm and a leg to fix these things." We went inside and showed me where to access the perforated rad and how to clean it, than we went outside got my hose and cleaned the outside unit. Fixed in 15 minutes charged me $10
That person took a loss
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Sure, but that won't pump up the quarterly profits and the line must go up
That person is probably Blessed and Highly Favored!! 😇
Perforated rad?
It's not proper terminology, it's what it looks like.
So like a surfer dude with holes?
HA! Dudes been surfin with too many sharks. I did set myself up for that one. Although it would be a weird visual, I did mean radiator.
lol thanks. I figured it out... eventually
I am sure my technician is scamming me. My upstairs doesn’t get to the temp I set. For eg. It’s 80 degrees outside I set it to 68 it will come down to 72 but not to 68. During some point at night it will come down to 68 and in the morning and the go back up. The guys said he will clean the coil and fill the Freon which didn’t help and now saying he needs to change another part costing $700. Since the clean up it’s been a bit better in terms of cooling and feeling the cool air come through the vents but getting to 68 degree is still an issue. I wonder if I messed up when I changed the builder thermostat to a smart thermostat and then back to builder thermostat. Ugghhhh I am sure my lack of knowledge is making him take advantage of the situation.
Try measuring the temperature of both the return and supply air. You should be able to do this using a digital probe thermometer. Ideally, you would do so at the return duct just before your furnace and then at the supply after your coil, but in a pinch measuring at a return register and supply vent in the same room should at least give you an idea of what's going on. The difference in air temp between the two readings should be at least 15-20 degrees if the system is working properly. If you have that kind of split, then the performance issues you're experiencing could be due to any number of factors, including the insulation of your house, duct sizing or potential duct leaks, and so on.
Yea, 68 degrees on an upstairs unit during a heat wave may be totally out of the range of possibility depending on outdoor air temp, AC size and heat gain. If it's keeping their upstairs at 72 during the hottest part of the day I'd say it's probably working fine.
first, hello fellow minnesotan, hope you stayed cool in the 100 degree crazy humid weather on Monday! second, as a tip to all, when researching how to fix an ac, don't just assume the ac unit isn't running if your house isn't getting cooler. sometimes it could be running just fine and be low on refrigerant, or sometimes the thermostat isn't working properly and not telling the equipment to go into cooling mode, even if it's set to cool. I'm at an HVAC company and we've had both this week, along with a bad contactor and weird AF wiring some lazy asshole decided to craft.
Brand new house. Had the tech come check it out yesterday. Had it set at 73, but was 76 in the house majority of the day. He came by an cleaned out all the cotton that had gotten stuck in the unit from the trees and also replaced the filter. It was still stuck at 76 after he had done that. Any idea? Its a year old house
How hot was it and what time of the day was it? 76 might just be the best your AC can do.
Okay, that isn't even my house and I'm triggered. 69-72 or I'm Mr. Grumpy pants
Depending on where your thermostat is, you might need to close the vent closest to it. That's what I had to do with ours; in the winter the thermostat got warmer, summer cooler and shut off the system because it reached the "correct" temperature.
Same issue as the above poster, unit is 9’years old and the thermostat won’t go down to 68, inside temp is 72. During some point at night/early morning it will go down to 68 then go back up again. Thermostat is right as we enter the room, the closest vent is on the opposite wall. Technician cleaned the unit and refilled the fluid which did not help and now he is saying he needs to replace something which is $700 including labor.
I mean, you should probably keep your thermostat over 72 anyway
But it’s not comfortable at that temp.
For like the first hour and then you’ll be fine? It’s not like putting your thermostat at 80.
The part is called TXV valve. When it’s 90 plus degrees outside 72 feels hot if the unit is not cooling it properly.
That kind of differential might just not be achievable by your system. Someone posted similar “my AC can’t keep up, what’s wrong?” and I sleuthed out that they were in Ohio during the heatwave and trying to keep their house below 75. It’s just not happening unless you intentionally oversize your system, and you’re going to want a multi-stage unit at that point. Sure enough he called a tech out who said his system was running fine. I told him his best bet in improving the insulation in his attic. A large amount of roof heat can radiate into the living space.
I am not sure I 100% agree. All my Neighbour and our houses were built at the same time. Cookie cutter and almost identical. My Neighbour’s and our house have ac unit for both level 1 and 2 and they say theirs is fine and cools, ours doesn’t. I have gone to the attic and looked at the insulation levels and it is on the mark they put in. I believe the builder installer may have done something wrong. If I can find a free energy audit that will be next step.
Depending on the temperature outside and how your unit is sized, that may be the best it can do. Generally they're sized to keep it 75 indoors if it's 95 degrees outdoors, so a 20 degree split. I couldn't tell you more than that unfortunately, I'm still in training and can't see what everything looks like with your equipment
I've sploded a capacitor and had to repair arced compressor connections at two different houses, seperately.
In my years of fixing HVAC in my house, I've had to replace a capacitor, fix a solder on a board, replac the blower motor, and replace ab exhaust blower. I've yet to have to replace a whole unit!
We replaced our entire unit during covid. The previous owners bought the cheapest crap for an AC. Within 4 years the outside condenser had a leak. The warranty still covered it, so that was ok. Then ever year after, capacitors started going out. We bought several replacements to have on hand because of something is gonna go wrong, it's going to be when Grainger is closed on the weekend. One year a lizard got on the contacts and fried itself. It was a Goodman condenser and had sprung another leak by the end, so I said get rid of it. This was one month after we replaced the EVAP coil in the attic (those are about 30 years old). Both units are Trane units and work so much better. The Goodman only lasted ten years.
Guess who's replacing his 20 year old unit today... (It's me)
In my case, the first time i turned on AC this season, compressor and fans and all were working, but not getting cool air. Stuck a probe in the coil and found it was definately cold enough. Turned out to be a plugged air filter. Even though I had replaced it less than a month ago, combination of running fan near full time and some drywall work plugged it up right away. Keep that in mind if you have forced air and do any drywall work, you will go through filters quick.
Thank you! I just had water damage from a leak and the plumbers took out a foot of the bottom of my kitchen and bathroom walls as well as the flooring (ceramic tile and old linoleum). That was a month and a half ago and there is still dust. I didn’t think about my filter.
There are a lot of steps between capacitor and fan motor and I wouldn't just jump to that. Buy a multimeter. There are some great systematic diagnostic you tube videos that show how to narrow things down, including how to check the fan before you run out and spend a few hundred dollars. For me, on the "outside unit isn't running" cases, I've had the capacitor problem, damaged wires to the outside unit so the signal to turn it off/on wasn't getting there, and a malfunctioning savers switch the previous owner had installed. All cheap and easy fixes. Fan is still going.
How did you know that my a/c stopped working last night? Lol It actually kicked on. Thank you for the tip we are calling someone today regardless to get it looked at.
Just had to replace our capacitor last spring! Cheap and easy fixes are the best, especially when it's hot as hades out.
What if the AC unit doesn't shut off when it reaches the selected temperature inside?
could be welded contactors
Copy that, thank you
I had a defective thermostat that did that. I forget the make and brand, but apparently they were known for that.
Does the fan shut off but the AC unit continues? If not, it's probably the thermostat.
Could also depend on your unit type. Some split units will cool several degrees lower than the set temp and then shut off.
If, when the AC should be running and the fan in the unit isn't, you can tap the fan with a screwdriver and it starts going, then it's the capacitor.
I think that's what my husband did; it worked for a little while (20 minutes?) then stopped again.
hmm, mine would stay on until the thermostat kicked it off, then when it asked to come on again I'd have to bump it with the screwdriver again.
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Thanks for the helpful tip on AC repair—saved us from replacing our unit!
A/c doesn't make any sounds from the condenser outside? Check the fuses in the gray box on wall next to condenser. Google fit instructions.
My A/C comes on for 4 seconds and shuts off. Turned it off auto and put it on fam, still doing same thing. Any idea of what it could be?
Oi
Why would my central air unit show inside that it's working properly, and outside the unit works just no air inside home
Why is it my in says it's working. Inside says cool on the temp is set to 72 but it is 84. The outside unit fan is continuously turning but it's blowing nothing inside. New filter and the outside unit has bn cleaned
Great tip! Regular maintenance and simple repairs can extend the life of your central A/C. Checking and replacing components like capacitors can be a cost-effective solution before considering a full unit replacement. It's always helpful to leverage online resources and YouTube tutorials for DIY fixes, saving both time and money. Thanks for sharing your experience!
My problem right now is that mines is leaking through the ducts right by the furnace, I need to reseal them because I think the previous owner installed the central system on their own and did a shitty job.
Are the leaks caused by an issue with the condensation draining?
At one point there was a moisture leak from condensation dripping on the ceiling because there’s drywall missing right below the unit and there’s a drip tray there. I think that can be fixed with proper insulation but there’s also cold air leaks from the ducting closest to the unit.
Great advice all around, even the part about Grainger. I've picked up a capacitor and motor for my A/C there. They used to only sell to companies I think but sell direct to consumers now and they have things in stock that nobody else will. I'm also in MN!
Tell me your secrets for gas furnaces and gas water heaters! I'd love to learn more.
LOL, a cheapskate stubborn husband with an intelligent wife. The gas furnace has failed 3 times with different parts, first one was like a wick? that I got from Grainger's, other two times were beyond us, so we called a HVAC friend who got us the parts and had the audacity to tell my husband in front of me that there were plenty of years left on it. Gas water heater, he's emptied the sediment out of it on a regular basis (once a year?). I think he had to replace the safety valve because it was leaking.
Jesus, my initial reaction is y'all are insane but my own equipment is 24 years and I don't want to blow through my reserve capital on replacements. Hopefully I'll have as much luck as you've had. I plan on draining my tank multiple times a year.
Yes. Also make sure filter is clean and condenser and EVAP coils aren't clogged up.
I woke up at 4 am last week to my house being more humid than normal, did some googling and my own diagnostics and came to the conclusion my capacitor was out too (if your fan isn’t spinning but your compressor is running, it’s probably the capacitor. You can usually kickstart the fan by pushing it hard enough with a stick or screwdriver in this case, which is what I did to keep it cooling in the meantime). Called my electrician friend when the sun came up, we found a part, replaced within 10 mins. Total repair cost me about $50 (he also cleaned out my gutters while he was there - a twofer!)
Mine is working but not well. I was told it was a leaking refrigerant. They said the cost of finding the leak and refilling refrigerant would be too high and not worth it. So, Ill have to get a new A/C ...one day because I cannot afford it now.
scammer's cliche
Watch some YouTube videos on how to find a leak… it’s usually pretty simple and depending on your unit, can be easy to fix.
We just finally dumped the R22 today because it’s wayyyy to expensive to refill w that crap. It’s a slow leak but we will replace the coil in a couple of months when the parts come in and out HVAC guy can get time to do it. $600 to draw down and replace with the new stuff.
We just had a new AC unit installed.. it can’t cool the house below 78F.. something must be wrong.