A/C issues....:(

[bob4432]

well i woke up this morning and it seemed that a/c had been gong on for some time. i woke up earlier and noticed it wasn't as cool in the condo and figured it must be a real one today. not so, current outside temp was only 97 and the a/c can barely keep it 80 in the condo, just a couple days ago, it could get it down to 72 or so. my last energy bill also used and abnormal amount of energy compared to last month and the same month last year, so i was hoping a neighbor was tapping of me and that would be easily rectified, but does't seem the case.

current air coming out of the vents is 65-66, in the past it was in the mid 50s when it was 110+ out, so this is not looking good.

as the day has gone on, the air is still coming out @ 66 at the coldest vent and 72 at the warmest, but the inside temp is now 83 at the thermostat and the a/c is still pumping. air coming out of the vents seems to be a very low pressure. air where the filter goes in is 80-82.

i can't actually get to the unit at the moment - i don't have a long enough ladder as i need about a 15' to get to the unit, so i can't tell you what it is doing. fwiw, we did have a decent storm last night, light rain for the most part but about 10mins of pouring, lots of lightning but i don't think we got hit as nothing else in the condo is working weird. no weird vibrations, sounds or anything like that, just not so cold air.

first i need to know what i have - the unit does both a/c and heat from 1 thermostat. the current brand is "trane" and it has been up there for a while, i couldn't see on the info plate what the year was and i know az sun will bleach some stuff, but this unit looked like it was pretty old.

our condo is ~1000 sq ft and about 1/2 has vaulted ceilings to about 20' or so, the rest is probably 8-10'. i am pretty sure there are leaks in the duct work too, so is that another specialty or the same people?

i was going to have this swap done this winter, but looks like it has moved itself up

educate me on what i have, what brands are good and the duct work please and also a possible fix for this weekend or is it looking like grabbing the dogs and hitting a local resort? as of right now, i am at 5:10pm, nearing the hottest part of the day - i have turned off all electric in the rest of the condo and vents except in the main bedroom where i, my wife and dogs are waiting this out. the temp in here is holding but i think it is suppose to get a couple degrees warmer today and hit 108-110 tomorrow. i know i am screwed for the weekend, but could you guys give me some info about what i have and possible issues so i don't get ass raped by the hvac guy/s? also, if it turns out the unit is bad, any recommendations from people who have knowledge in this area about size/brand of a new unit? we plan on staying here or at least owning the property for a long time, so i don't mind spending the $$$ on a decent unit. also approx cost? for all i know this could be the original unit and our building is 15yrs old, not sure if they last that long or not.

thanks for the help

 

[Modelworks]

Do you know if the fan is working on the unit outside ? Just a guess of course, but if it was working then suddenly started working poor after a thunderstorm, that is what I would guess. The unit will still work without the outside fan, just poorly. If you determine that it is the fan, a temp quick fix is to set up a water hose to run over the coils until you can get it fixed. Had to do that once a few years back, it was actually suggested by the HVAC guy because he wouldn't have the fan I needed in stock for two days.


Before you buy a new unit check with your local utility. Some of them have rebates or discounts if you purchase certain units.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Do you know if the fan is working on the unit outside ? Just a guess of course, but if it was working then suddenly started working poor after a thunderstorm, that is what I would guess. The unit will still work without the outside fan, just poorly. If you determine that it is the fan, a temp quick fix is to set up a water hose to run over the coils until you can get it fixed. Had to do that once a few years back, it was actually suggested by the HVAC guy because he wouldn't have the fan I needed in stock for two days.


Before you buy a new unit check with your local utility. Some of them have rebates or discounts if you purchase certain units.

i can't get to the unit itself atm, the rental place is taking a long weekend. looks like todays max temp has been met, so hopefully it will cool down a bit in here tonight.

thanks for the advice for a rebate from the power company, will give them a call monday too

 

[schneiderguy]

Did you check the vent for mice?

 

[iGas]

Check filter, blower, return air, thermostat setting, and clean outside unit. Call HVAC for service if problem persist after filter replacement, everything else checked out, and outside unit is clean.

 

[bob4432]

no mice where i live, well none that i see, but in all my life, i have only seen 1 "field mouse" in a house. we have a couple hawks around that keep rabbit/dove/mice population in check

i can't get to the unit until monday at the earliest and honestly i have no clue what i am looking at. i will have to call somebody, but it seems like the a/c unit is producing cool air, just that it doesn't come out. when the a/c unit is on, you can feel the vent it cool, so i am assuming the blower would be what could possibly be the issue? it does seem like there is nothing pushing the air out. outside of unit is clean, at least the last time i saw it which was probably 3wks ago.

filter is clean, i did take the filter out completely and still no air pushing out. thermostat is set to 76 and the inside temp when we left was 85F just a few minutes ago, now at hotel w/ working a/c . tomorrow will go to a nice resort that was running a special - kind of making a mini, in town vacation out of this so it isn't all that bad i guess.

 

[schneiderguy]

Originally posted by: bob4432
no mice where i live, well none that i see

You probably don't see them because they're in your air conditioner.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: schneiderguy

Originally posted by: bob4432
no mice where i live, well none that i see

You probably don't see them because they're in your air conditioner.

guess we will find out monday or tuesday. but i have lived in a 1/2 dozen places around the valley and have honestly not seen mice. scorpions, rabbits, javelina, doves, roadrunners, gila monsters, snakes yes but no mice indoors. up north yes, but never lived there.

 

[schneiderguy]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: schneiderguy

Originally posted by: bob4432
no mice where i live, well none that i see

You probably don't see them because they're in your air conditioner.

guess we will find out monday or tuesday. but i have lived in a 1/2 dozen places around the valley and have honestly not seen mice. scorpions, rabbits, javelina, doves, roadrunners, gila monsters, snakes yes but no mice indoors. up north yes, but never lived there.

I have calculated there is a 99.3% chance you have a mouse infestation in your air conditioning system.

 

[bob4432]

just an update:

turned out i was wrong on the age of my condo - 25yrs old, and this is the original unit. now that it has sat, it works for a bit and then stops, so i am not putting $$ into a 25yr old unit. new unit will be installed tomorrow.

oh yeah, and no mice....

 

[Sea Moose]

put your figures in metric and i might be able to help you, or pm igas he is also a mechanic, he is from usa he understands the stone age system of measurement you guys use over there.

edit:damn hes fast