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A/C issues... help
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:06 pm
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:06 pm
Woke up in the middle of the night last night and the thermostat showed that it was 80 degrees. I didn't feel any air blowing out of the vents, so I went to check the breakers, and they were halfway off. I turned them back on and thought that fixed the problem, but a few minutes later things hadn't improved. I went outside to the unit and saw that it was making a high-pitch squealing sound but the fan wasn't blowing. So, I got a screwdriver and "kick-started" it manually. After that, the A/C began running normally again and by the time I woke up, the house was back at 70 degrees. However, today it struggled to stay cool, and I noticed it wasn't blowing particularly strong nor cool, despite running nonstop, and it's now back at 78. The high-pitch noise hasn't subsided, either. Any ideas as to what might be the problem?
11
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:07 pm to the paradigm
HIV
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:08 pm to the paradigm
Capacitor dying
Easy fix if you can find the right capacitor
Easy fix if you can find the right capacitor
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:12 pm to the paradigm
Sounds like you're describing a capacitor failure, a pretty common problem.
A simple fix for a competent tech. If you are able to start the fan by hand and then it will run continuously it is likely the start capacitor. Some newer units have the start and run capacitor as one unit.
If you get a tech out they can check the charge also to verify that is not the issue.
Hope this helps.
A simple fix for a competent tech. If you are able to start the fan by hand and then it will run continuously it is likely the start capacitor. Some newer units have the start and run capacitor as one unit.
If you get a tech out they can check the charge also to verify that is not the issue.
Hope this helps.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:18 pm to AndyCBR
Evaporator coil
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:18 pm to the paradigm
Call your AC guy
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:23 pm to Cosmo
my neighbor said he thinks it's the fan motor bearings
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:25 pm to the paradigm
You have a pig in the unit and it destroyed the capacitor.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:31 pm to TDsngumbo
I once had a rat snake wrapped up in the fan and it was lodged. True story.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:33 pm to the paradigm
My upstairs unit is doing the same and I replaced the evaporator coil last month
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:35 pm to the paradigm
Flux Capacitor, Biff’s HVAC should be able to help you.
(225) 753-1985
Watch out for the Iranians with black guns.
(225) 753-1985
Watch out for the Iranians with black guns.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:35 pm to the paradigm
quote:
my neighbor said he thinks it's the fan motor bearings
This sounds more logical. Capacitor might keep fan from starting but wouldn't explain high pitch noise. Bad bearings would explain noise and over amping that would trip breaker.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:40 pm to the paradigm
Well, midnight on a sunday night is not really the time to expect to get this fixed. I would try to see if you can spin the fan to get it started like you did last night. or just head to the wal marks right now to get a cheap window unit to get you to where you can get this fixed...or maybe even just turn the whole shite off and head to a hotel for the night.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:42 pm to Spankum
It is blowing ok, for now.... its down to 76 and the air it's blowing out is cool. Just not understanding why it's cooling now, and not during the day.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:44 pm to the paradigm
it probably cools when you jump start the fan, but during the day, the fan is not turning.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:50 pm to Spankum
nah, I checked the fan throughout the day and it was always going.
Posted on 6/3/19 at 12:04 am to the paradigm
quote:
Just not understanding why it's cooling now, and not during the day.
It is cooling during the day. It just can't keep up.
In its compromised state its cooling capacity is, let's say, X cools per hour. We're not going to get technical, we're just going to say it can manage X. During the day when it's swamp balls hot outside, it must provide Y cools per hour to keep up, but Y is bigger than X, so your AC can't keep your house at a reasonable temperature. After the sun goes down and it cools off outside and the sun isn't scorching your house, though, it only needs to provide Z cools per hour and Z is less than X, so it can start to catch up.
In a nutshell. Get an AC tech out to diagnose it. A COMPETENT AC tech. It could be that the compressor isn't running. It could be that it is, but the evaporator coil fan bearings are failing and the fan can't keep enough air moving to provide for carrying heat away. It could be that the refrigerant levels aren't right. It could be a problem in the air handler. Don't try to cheap out and "save money" by asking the OT or your neighbor's cousin that installed ductwork one summer. Invariably, you're going to pay more to fix the problem by going down that path.
This post was edited on 6/3/19 at 12:08 am
Posted on 6/3/19 at 12:49 am to the paradigm
I call the AC man. I don’t fool around with those issues in this heat.
Posted on 6/3/19 at 1:47 am to the paradigm
quote:
Just not understanding why it's cooling now, and not during the day.
Don't forget residential AC is only designed to cool your home's air up to 20 degrees cooler than whatever the temperature is outside. So it would be perfectly normal as temperatures creep towards 100 degrees, for your AC to max around 80. That's the best some average units are capable of... they aren't an unlimited source of cold air like some may think when they dial in 60 on the thermostat when it's 98 outside....not gonna happen... ..even 70 just isn't possible for many home's AC's when it's 96-98 degrees.
There are units stronger than others but if your roof is exposed to all day sun and your attic temp is rising to the 150's like some easily can, even with insulation your AC has a MF'er of a heat load to fight on a day in mid to high 90's. Good luck.
This post was edited on 6/3/19 at 1:51 am
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