Hvac help

I've been on vacation. Hence the board absence.

Something is fishy. They were both working perfectly before we left for vacation eight days ago. Last night the upstairs unit wouldn't cool. Now they both act like they are out. Did I screw something up by turning them both to 90 while we were gone?

Both fans, both compressors are running. At least the split system is r22. I've tried spraying the cooling coils with water, thermostat batteries, air filters, resetting fuses, contact relays. Can it be anything other than refrigerant? Why both at once?

Do you have air coming out of the vents and it's just not cool? Or do you have nothing/drastically reduced flow out of the vents?

Swank Force One wrote: Do you have air coming out of the vents and it's just not cool? Or do you have nothing/drastically reduced flow out of the vents?

Room temp air flowing freely. The airflow increases somewhat if I turn the AC off and just let the fans turn.

Room temp was 96 at bedtime last night. The kids slept downstairs all on the same air mattress because that unit WAS working then.

If you turned them way up and then way down upon your return it's possible the coil is frozen inside the air handler. It would indicate slightly low refrigerant.

KyAllroad wrote: If you turned them way up and then way down upon your return it's possible the coil is frozen inside the air handler. It would indicate slightly low refrigerant.

Have not seen any ice. I have looked. It's been 20 hours since we've turned them down from 90 now, and the downstairs unit responded immediately when we got home but seems completely dead now b

Based on that last bit, I'm guessing frozen coil, even if you don't see ice from the outside. How far have you taken the unit apart?

Also, put fresh filters in to maximize airflow across the coil and stop it from freezing.

Duke wrote: Based on that last bit, I'm guessing frozen coil, even if you don't see ice from the outside. How far have you taken the unit apart? Also, put fresh filters in to maximize airflow across the coil and stop it from freezing.

I have checked both cools on the downstairs unit. Just the outside could on the upstairs unit. They have both had a long time to defrost and the upstairs coils are in the attic where it's roughly eight million degrees.

Both filters are less than one month old.

HVAC #1 (the one that died this morning), needed a capacitor. Apparently they have separate legs for the compressor and for the fan, such that the contactor can be flipped, the fan can be running, and the compressor can be off. $45, plus a really reasonable $75 service call.

A/C (the split system that died sometime while we were gone) needs a compressor. Color me a bit confused. He tried swapping the contactor, the capacitor, adding a booster capacitor, and some other stuff before clamping the compressor wire to find no current draw. It was not overtemped, or otherwise damaged. I did not realize that an A/C compressor was completely welded shut, so all of the connections ohmed out correctly, and the electrical tests were fine, so the compressor must have mechanically failed.

So I'm in for a new compressor plus charge (~$1000) or a new system.

He's quoting us now.

And I won't make it to the Challenge this year.

Bummer, dude. Sorry to hear it.

ooooooof.

Suck. I hate houses.

I have several window units you could borrow. We keep one in the bedroom, the rest of the house is cooled by window box fans. Might buy you some time to save up for the HVAC job.

Update time.

Compressor replacement cost is $1300 with 0 warranty, mostly because it's likely the old one threw up inside of the coils and there are bits and shards and such.

A/C replacement cost is $3600 with a ten year warranty (SEER 14)

A/C and furnace (split system) cost is $5400

BUT

I just went to get something out of the garage freezer. The GFCI was tripped. I'm filing a homeowners claim. I am not certain that they will agree that it was a power surge, nor that they will agree that replacing the A/C unit itself is the right direction (it's where we were heading).

I defrosted maybe $100 worth of meat since the new cow isn't coming until next week.

Does the freezer still work?

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Does the freezer still work?

I have two out there. The one still does, it's sort of hard to tell on the other one, but I imagine that the GFCI saved them.

Is it possible you had a lightning strike?

spitfirebill wrote: Is it possible you had a lightning strike?

Yes or something like it. One of the contactors on the A/C unit was charred but not badly and it still worked

Yeah, sounds like a lightning strike to me.

Ill say a prayer for insurance coming through for you. Having been where you are, im still making payments.