Central AC problems, not blowing cold

[wlgorman]

AC seems to have started having problems last night. We have home shield but they werent able to make it out today. The unit is def. older. We moved into this house in October.

Filter is fresh, wasnt dirty but replaced anyway.

Overflow/Condensate line is clear, actually no water detectable at all. Im sure this isnt right.

Blower fan is running. Air coming out of registers but doesnt feel very strong as far as I can remember.

Outside fan is running.

Ductwork is sealed, Ive been in the attic quite a bit lately, and looked it over a couple months ago.

Im guessing were low on coolant or have a leak. Its been 79 in the house all day and set at 70.

Any tips to get us through the night and maybe tomorrow?

[jrfan]

Compressor probably not running.

[Ttechhunter]

Compressor probably not running.

Correct, most likely your capacitor.

[IowaHunter]

Compressor probably not running.

He said the fan outside is running so it shouldn't be that.

[airehead]

He said the fan outside is running so it shouldn't be that.

The fan can be running and the compressor not running if the compressor side of the capacitor is bad!!

If you were not so dadgum far away I'd come look at it for ya

[doghouse]

Check you coils to see if they are iced up. That's all I have.

[thegrouse]

Can you tell if the compressor is running or is it just the outside fan? Normally the outside fan is fairly quiet and the compressor makes the most noise.

[TheHammer]

I had the same issue and it was the capacitor, like the others said. But it cost me a repair man to find it. Should have used the forum. Lol

[BigL]

The fan can be running and the compressor not running if the compressor side of the capacitor is bad!!

If you were not so dadgum far away I'd come look at it for ya

Less than 3 hours away. Where's your dedication?

BTW I'm closing on that house on Tuesday. I'll be calling soon for those repairs.

[be12hunt]

If compressor is running then odds are it is low on freon.

[IowaHunter]

The fan can be running and the compressor not running if the compressor side of the capacitor is bad!!

I didn't know that. I'm a ceramic engineer not an AC engineer.

My system had similar symptoms last week. The coils upstairs were a block of ice. Reportedly I need to replace the system. Mine is 19 years old.

[wlgorman]

idk how to tell if the comp is running or not. cant hear or feel anything over the fan. but it started cooling again last night. it did this a couple weeks ago too.

The repairman that american homeshield is gonna dispatch will prob say everything is working great and leave.

What do i do when he says that?



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[thegrouse]

Based on the information you have provided I think the compressor was not running. If it started cooling again it usually means the freon level is good. I think the compressor may be having trouble starting and kicking itself off on internal overload. Once it cools down in the evening it is now able to start and works pretty good. This could be a sign of a compressor on the way out or possibly the starting components. I would install a $15 hard start kit such as a Supco, check the wiring and run capacitor and start saving for a new unit. I have seen units run for years with the hard start kit.

[forest-hunter]

If your overflow condensation line is not dripping water then you could have a block in your line. Ours gets gunk in it occasionally and we have to flush it out with a hose or pull the gunk out with something like a coat hanger. It will cause ours to not cool when that happens. Good luck.

[critter69]

You said the air flow out of the registers was not as strong, but blower fan was running. It could be the unit was froze up and over time, not running it thawed out and in turn started again. But you should have evidence of water flowing down drain now, and possibly dripping from coil on to floor ( if furnace is in basement or up right) or in the the pan ( if in attic, crawl space). You said the filter was fresh, but is the out door coil ( condenser ) plugged up. Take your garden hose and flush the condenser out. If you notice a bunch of stuff coming out it's plugged. If it's running now, check the line set were it enters the inside coil. Under the black insulation on the larger line ( suction) it should show signs of frost , then turn to ice. You will have to pull it back a bit to see the copper line, possibly. Could also be refrigerant charge, dirty coil inside house, weak capacitor. The cap is cheap if you want to replace it. Is your system r-22, if so its going to cost a good bit to charge unit. Let us know what it is.