Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I'm sitting in an 82 degree house right now! It Sucks!!! Anyone have any idea why my AC isnt blowing cold air?? Both inside and outside units are running, I have cleaned (to the best of my ability) the inside and outside units. I am getting air out of the vents, it's just not cold air. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsb84 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I'm sitting in an 82 degree house right now! It Sucks!!!Anyone have any idea why my AC isnt blowing cold air?? Both inside and outside units are running, I have cleaned (to the best of my ability) the inside and outside units. I am getting air out of the vents, it's just not cold air. TIA Call an A/C company to take a look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I can help you. Ok, you say you have cleaned the unit, what did you clean exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Call an A/C company to take a look? Thanks! :obvious: I was looking for maybe some "check this" or "check that" type stuff a regular ol' Harry the Homeowner could do before I put out the money for a AC guy to come check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 The reason you are getting air is because the blower wheel in the indoor unit is still running, the reason the air is not cold is because their is either a restriction preventing the air to no blow over your cold coils... or your coils just arent cold. Or your coils are really dirty. Dirty coils happens a lot and can really prevent your system from working correctly. Do you have any pets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Walton Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 You need more coolant or your compressor is dead or you froze the coil of your unit. All need a service professional to address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 I can help you. Ok, you say you have cleaned the unit, what did you clean exactly? I shut the power, took the big cover off the inside unit and cleaned the dusty side of the coils. I then went outside, pulled the cover off of the outside unit and brushed the grass clippings and little debris off the out side of the unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Call an A/C company to take a look? That is best Ya can check the intake filter,if very dirty the condensor can ice up if ya have dogs or kids see if any wires are loose going to the outside unit. My dogs love to gnaw on them Other than that or replacing the thermostat ya gonna need real help ya can give that a bump or two for the hell of it n/m Stew gots ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Are you sure your compressor is running, and not just the fan? Call a pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southtown Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I'm sitting in an 82 degree house right now! It Sucks!!!Anyone have any idea why my AC isnt blowing cold air?? Both inside and outside units are running, I have cleaned (to the best of my ability) the inside and outside units. I am getting air out of the vents, it's just not cold air. TIA This exact scenario happened to me in my condo. Turns out I need a new fan motor in the unit on the roof. They fixed it quickly. Cost a few hundred dollars if I remember correctly. (though a friend of a friend fixed it, so not sure if that was the retail price or not) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDaddyShoo Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 It's also possible that you've got a freon leak somewhere along the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 not sure what this means but: I have 2 copper lines (1 big, 1 small) running into the inside unit. They are usually cold and have from time to time had an ice buildup on them. They are both room temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Are you sure your compressor is running, and not just the fan?Call a pro. Fan is off and i still have air out of the vents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 not sure what this means but: I have 2 copper lines (1 big, 1 small) running into the inside unit. They are usually cold and have from time to time had an ice buildup on them. They are both room temperature. Compressor is not running or no freon. one should be cold one hotter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Time to take that 70 hour a week job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I shut the power, took the big cover off the inside unit and cleaned the dusty side of the coils. I then went outside, pulled the cover off of the outside unit and brushed the grass clippings and little debris off the out side of the unit. Ok, coils clean. For future reference, dont brush them only use water. if you bend those tiny little baffles, that can cause a restriction in air flow. Always use water when cleaning your outdoor coil. There is an acid you can clean with as well, but leave that to the professionals who use it everyday. Ok, coils are clean. Did you change your filter? If not, replace it now or leave it out of the unit for the time being. Go to the outdoor unit. Is the outdoor unit running and spinning the fan blades inside it? If yes, then look behind the unit. There are two copper lines coming out of the back. A big one and a little one. Is the big one sweating? If no, then is there a long (usually black) sealed unit in the middle, under the fan blades... is it making a buzzing sound? If you have a multi-meter, you can clamp the thick black wire and obtain what the compressor is amping at. check the data plate on the back of the unit to find out how many amps the compressor should be amping at. if you get a number like 63, then you are experiencing locked rotor amperage, and your compressor has died. If big line is sweating, then is it frozen? If no, then we are getting closer. If Frozen: Do you have an AC unit of a Heat pump? If AC Unit, then turn the unit off at the Thermostat and wait for the ice to melt. If you feel so inclined you can take a screw driver to the ice and chip it away, just be gentle, dont go messing your unit up. IF Heat Pump, turn that bad boy to heat and turn the t-stat up. The reversing of the refrigerant will melt the ice on the inside of your outdoor unit. If Frozen, the more then likely scenario is that you are low on Refrigerant. Common problem among older R22 systems. Hell, common in newer 410A systems as well, just not as common. If your line is not sweating at all, you more then likely have a leak of refrigerant or none at all. This is going to be a more expensive fix, and you should really replace the whole unit instead of fixing the crappy old one because once you pay to have that fixed, something else on that unit will go next. The integrity of the unit has been compromised by the problem it has right now. Either way, do not keep running the unit. If it is a refrigerant leak, best advice anyone can give you is to replace it and not mess around with band-aids. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Fan is off and i still have air out of the vents. You are still getiing air eventhough the fanis off bc of a time delay realy switch. Once desired temp is reached, the unit turns off but the indoor blower keeps running to evacuate all the remaining cold air from the system into the home. When the unit is running, and the Thermostat is calling for cold air... Is the indoor fan working (Air blowing through vents), is the outdoor fan working (fan blades spinning) then the outdoor fan and most likly the compressor are working. Check this. When you took the cover off of the outside unit. Look at where all the wires are. You should see a silver cylender. It is called a capacitor. Is it rusted, or is there a gel oozing from it? Try not to touch too much in that area. There is 240 volts coming from the municipal power supply right into that very area. 240V will def clear your sinuses if you get hit with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Filter is replaced. Fan Blades are spinning. Big Line is not sweating. Big Line is also not frozen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Filter is replaced.Fan Blades are spinning. Big Line is not sweating. Big Line is also not frozen. Look to see if that silver cylender looking object on the outdoor unit is leaking or oozing gel. Dont get too touchy feely in there while you are looking though. Go ahead and turn your system off. No need to keep stressing the system, it can lead to other probs. If you dont see any gel on the capacitor... is it puffed up? Like a bulging bubble on the top or sides? Seperate question, do you have a multi-meter or a clamp meter you can take amperage and voltage with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I may be hopping in and out of the thread Capt, but dont worry Im here for you. Just by the looks of it, Id say you need a couple lbs of boost. (refrig) The genesis of a problem like that is that you more then likely have a refrigerant leak. My goal is to help you diagnose what it is, so that you dont get hosed by the tech telling you that you need four different things when you may only need just one thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Look to see if that silver cylender looking object on the outdoor unit is leaking or oozing gel. Dont get too touchy feely in there while you are looking though. Go ahead and turn your system off. No need to keep stressing the system, it can lead to other probs. If you dont see any gel on the capacitor... is it puffed up? Like a bulging bubble on the top or sides?Seperate question, do you have a multi-meter or a clamp meter you can take amperage and voltage with? no to the multi-meter/clamp meter question. I dont like electricity! Nothing looks out of the ordinary under there. No oozing or swelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 here is the other thing I was thinking about and have encountered before. Do you have a heat pump? The reason I ask is because I have encountered systems where the heat pump was putting out cold air... however the heating elements (used in the winter for heat mode) were still on, thus heating the air temp up to right around 78-80 degrees. Of course if yo uheat your home with Gas, then this is of no concern, but if you have a heat pump, I could direct you to where the heating elements are and have you amp those. that would tell me if th eheating elements are on. because your big line isnt sweating, Id say thats not the issue though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 here is the other thing I was thinking about and have encountered before. Do you have a heat pump? The reason I ask is because I have encountered systems where the heat pump was putting out cold air... however the heating elements (used in the winter for heat mode) were still on, thus heating the air temp up to right around 78-80 degrees. Of course if yo uheat your home with Gas, then this is of no concern, but if you have a heat pump, I could direct you to where the heating elements are and have you amp those. that would tell me if th eheating elements are on. because your big line isnt sweating, Id say thats not the issue though. I have a heat pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 no to the multi-meter/clamp meter question. I dont like electricity!Nothing looks out of the ordinary under there. No oozing or swelling. Do you have a digital thermometer? Unfortunately, Im going with low of refrigerant. Heres what will happen. You will call a tech out to your house to diagnose the prob. usually about 90 bucks. They will hook gauges up to your system and get the pressure or amount of boost in your system. They are going to tell you that you need refrigerant. if your system is over 8 years old it prolly runs on R22 refrigerant. Costs about seventy bucks per pound. because your suction line isnt even cold, Im assuming you dont have much if any. Now, that refrigerant they put in your system. Its not gonna last long if yo uhave a big leak. It will eventually vent back into the atmosphere. They are going to try and pressure you into replacing the system right then and there. it will be an extremely fast fix to having no AC. If yo uwant to think about it, have them boost your system, and then it will give you a temporary window to think about your next move. How long is a temp window? I cnat tell you that because i dont know how big your leak is. Hope this helps, let me know if yo uhave any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I have a heat pump. wow, ok cool. give me a minute. Ok, like i said I dont think your heating elements are on bc your suction line isnt sweating. However, and this is just a tip incase you find yourself in this situation, but if your lines ever freeze in the future, turn your HP to heat mode and the reversing of the refrigerant thorough the system will melt the ice on your lines and coils, thus enabling the cooling cycle again if possible. Id direct you to your heating elements, but yo usaid you dont have a multi-meter, so no point. Its time to call a heating and AC tech at this point, unless you have a bottle of R22 and some gauges lying around, then id walk you through boosting your system. Capt, when you cleaned off your indoor coils, did you look underneath the coils at the underside of them to see if they were clogged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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